Materia Medica Malaysiana

Philips eyes govt sales for iU22



Dutch firm Royal Philips Electronics is scouting for procurement opportunities in Malaysia to supply at least 10 units of its new iU22 Ultrasound Systems machines this year.

The 10 units, which are worth between RM9.5 million and RM11.4 million, would be for government hospitals and private medical establishments, said its senior vice president for medical systems Victor H Reddick at a press conference after the launch of iU22 in Singapore on Friday.

Officials from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Hospital and Kuala Lumpur Hospital were present at the launch.

“Malaysia is an interesting market for us (Philips). Its government adopts a clear direction on the healthcare industry. It has been investing in new hospitals and rehabilitating existing ones,” he said.

iU22, Philips’ latest ultrasound product in the premium market segment, costs between US$250,000 and US$350,000 a unit. The machine’s smart features include intelligent control and advanced ergonomic design, real-time imaging, voice-activated control and automated image optimisation technologies.

Reddick said clinicians would be more confident in their diagnosis due to image clarity and higher patient-handling time instead of equipment-toggling with voice-recognition feature.

The company will demonstrate iU22 to local doctors and physicians at a Magnetic Resonance Imaging event in Kuala Lumpur on April 4.

Philips expects to supply more than 200 units of iU22 to the Asia Pacific region, in which Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand are its lead medical equipment markets.

Philips Electronics Singapore Pte Ltd chairman and chief executive officer Mourad Mankarios said Philips was also planning to work out financing arrangements for its iU22 customers that may involve tie-ups with the local banks and finance companies.

Philips has shipped seven units of iU22 and will deliver 30 more to Singapore by the end of this month. The company has forecast that medical equipment sales in the Asia Pacific market will contribute 30% to the group’s revenue this year from 22% a year earlier. For the financial year ended Dec 31, 2003, it posted a net profit of €695 million.