Bernd Ohnesorge: Siemens Healthineers’ Innovations Bridge Healthcare Integration Between Europe and the Region, Aiming to Serve 3.3 billion Patients by 2030

Chicago – Tamer Emam

In an era of accelerating technological innovation and widening healthcare disparities across regions, Siemens Healthineers stands as a cornerstone in supporting global healthcare. In this exclusive interview with Dr. Bernd Ohnesorge, head of Europe, Middle East and Africa, Siemens Healthineers, we explore the company’s ambitious vision to enhance integration across diverse markets in these regions and its pursuit of a monumental goal: providing healthcare access to over 3.3 billion patients by 2030.

Through this conversation, we shed light on Siemens Healthineers’ strategies to understand the unique needs of each market, foster collaboration between Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and leverage technology and digitalization to overcome geographic and economic challenges. We also examine the role of partnerships with governments and the private sector in achieving these goals, with concrete examples from Rwanda, South Africa, and Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Ohnesorge shares his insights on the challenges of introducing cutting-edge technologies in emerging markets and how Siemens Healthineers adapts these innovations to meet the needs of these regions. Through this dialogue, we uncover how the company strives to make high-quality healthcare accessible to all, regardless of geographic location or economic status.

How would you assess Siemens Healthineers’ role in fostering integration between Europe, Middle East, and African markets?

While there isn’t a complete integration between these markets, Siemens Healthineers acknowledges the unique dynamics of each region. Each market has its own specific needs and challenges, and our approach is to deeply understand and cater to these local requirements. We follow a clear principle of working through strong, empowered local organizations in core countries, complemented by partnerships with trusted, well-trained, and licensed business partners in other regions.

There is, however, a growing level of collaboration between Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, particularly in terms of knowledge exchange. Europe, for example, plays a key role in supporting growth in Africa by sharing expertise, while also learning valuable lessons in return. The Middle East serves as a vital bridge between these regions, facilitating collaboration and strengthening ties.

A unifying factor across these regions is our strong mission to improve healthcare access and our strong commitment to sustainability. We aim to reach 3.3 billion patients globally by 2030, of which 1.25 billion in low- and middle-income countries. This ambitious target reflects our dedication to expanding access to quality healthcare, to everyone, everywhere.

This highlights the dynamics of enabling access to healthcare. Access to high-quality healthcare is a global issue, spanning both the developed and developing worlds, or high-income and low- and middle-income countries. We firmly believe that all countries can exchange knowledge and learn from one another. Our guiding principle is that where you live should not determine whether you live, and access to healthcare should not be dependent on your location.

Low- and middle-income countries clearly face a strong need to expand healthcare access, but even high-income countries, particularly in remote areas outside metropolitan centers, face similar challenges. In these areas, technology and digitalization can help overcome geographic distances and address the shortage of healthcare professionals. These challenges are shared by both remote areas in high-income countries and underserved regions in low- and middle-income nations, making it essential for all countries to collaborate and learn from each other.

Would you explain expand access to healthcare a bit? Perhaps you can explain how you plan to do this?

Expanding access to healthcare involves three key dimensions. The first is access itself, which means ensuring that the essential technologies required for healthcare are available to everyone. This includes core technologies such as imaging, X-ray, CT scans, C-arm CT (CT quorum arm), lab solutions, and ultrasound. At the heart of healthcare is diagnostics, and we focus on making sure that these technologies are accessible and affordable. Our goal is to provide these essential tools at the right levels, ensuring that healthcare can be delivered effectively and efficiently to all, regardless of location or economic status.

Are you doing this through governments, the private sector, or both?

Our approach varies depending on the local healthcare system and needs. Both government and private sector collaborations play vital roles in achieving this goal. Affordability and technology are important, but infrastructure requirements also play a key part. For example, we have introduced MR technology that doesn’t require liquid helium, is easy to install, and consumes less energy. This innovation, along with other technological advancements, is designed to make advanced healthcare technologies more accessible in remote and decentralized areas. The second aspect is the digital angle. How can you transport knowledge instead of people? The goal is to bring knowledge digitally, while reaching people where the patients are, and then, if necessary, bringing staff directly.

From your point of view, are you now approaching governments, the private sector, or both?

It really depends on the local system and context. In many low- and middle-income countries, governments often take the lead in creating public healthcare systems that reach remote areas. However, they also rely on the private sector to support these efforts. We usually see that a combination of both public and private sectors tends to offer a more balanced and effective solution.

A recent example of this is our collaboration with the government of Rwanda, where we were able to implement a comprehensive imaging solutions for CT, MR, X-ray, and ultrasound. This initiative is part of a ten-year partnership with the Rwandan government to provide imaging across large areas of the country. This partnership includes not only the installation and maintenance of equipment but also continuous training.

So, while we are always open to country-wide solutions that require government engagement, we also collaborate with the private sector where it plays a role in the solution.

Is that part of the Siemens Healthineers partnership?

Yes, exactly. We refer to this as “Value Partnerships,” and it encompasses a variety of archetypes and models. These partnerships can include government-backed programs that aim to improve healthcare access and quality. Additionally, we collaborate with holistic hospital providers who are moving into the decentralized areas, particularly in underserved communities. We also work with private sector organizations that seek comprehensive technology partnerships, often involving multiple healthcare centers.

Are you able to give us any examples of where this is happening? In the Middle East, specifically.

One example is in South Africa, within the Netcare Group in Johannesburg. Here, a private radiology provider collaborates closely with Netcare to support delivering advanced radiology services. This partnership exemplifies a long-term relationship that leverages cutting-edge technology to enhance healthcare delivery.

Another notable example is in Saudi Arabia with the Dallah Group. This private organization is establishing hospitals across the country step by step and has chosen Siemens Healthineers as its technology partner.

Do you have examples from the Egyptian market?

Not yet, but we are actively exploring opportunities. Egypt is a very important country for us. As one of the largest and most significant low-to-middle-income countries in Africa, particularly in the northern region, it plays a central role in our initiative to support the continent. We are engaging in holistic and strategic research partnerships aimed at improving healthcare access, including leveraging digital tools. While we are still in the exploration phase, there are several promising project possibilities. Hopefully, we will have some good news to share in the coming year.

Don’t we have a dedicated training center in Egypt?

Yes, exactly. Value partnerships go beyond just providing technology; they include investing in Egypt through initiatives like training. We’ve established a dedicated training center in collaboration with the Egyptian government to train technicians and engineers. This center focuses on developing the skills of both public sector professionals and our own teams. Training medical professionals is a critical pillar of our efforts to enhance healthcare access and support the healthcare agenda.

What about your plan to deliver the latest technology? What we see here at RSNA – are you delivering it to the region, particularly Africa and the Middle East?

Yes, we are bringing the latest breakthrough technologies to the region, and we hope this is recognized. Our innovations truly push the boundaries of medical technology, such as photo-counting CT, which offers new possibilities in clinical results. Additionally, we’re making strides in disruptive technologies that focus on improving access to healthcare. For example, our MR Platform has evolved step-by-step from the “free platform” to the “flow platform.” The flow platform features a more open bore, improved patient convenience, and low infrastructure and installation requirements. This is crucial for enhancing healthcare access, particularly in low and middle-income countries, including Africa. To highlight the impact, the first ten units of the new flow technology, which launched just last year, were already deployed in North Africa within a few months.

What’s the main challenge you face in delivering the latest technology?

The main challenge is securing the right investment. Locally, we don’t face many issues because we work through mature organizations with strong service and maintenance footprints, as well as highly educated business partners. However, in low and middle-income countries, particularly with governments, the challenge is around lifecycle investments.

While funding for equipment might be available, the real question is whether there’s long-term funding for service provision and continuous education. This is something local governments and authorities need to address. We aim to help by fostering holistic partnerships. We commit to long-term engagement through providing equipment, installation, maintenance, and continuous staff education. Staff turnover over eight to ten years is common, so we focus on ensuring staff is consistently trained and supported, while also maintaining the technology to ensure it’s always available for patient care.

I think it’s quite important be able to offer these solutions, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Siemens Healthineers is often seen as offering high-end, perhaps unaffordable technology compared to cheaper Chinese equipment, which lacks these additional benefits. Is that one of the challenges? Is it difficult to communicate this value to governments?

It is a challenge to explain, but it’s likely related to the way their funding mechanisms work and how long-term investments are perceived and translated. That’s something that still needs to be fully understood. However, we also feel responsible for making governments aware of the broader picture. It’s not just about purchasing equipment and installing it. There are many pieces of equipment in Africa that were bought and installed, ran for a while, and now sit idle because there’s no trained staff to operate them or service agreements to maintain them. This is an issue we constantly highlight, but more importantly, we offer solutions such as lifecycle management for these types of equipment.

From your opinion, are there specific innovations tailored for emerging markets?

There is a focus on tailoring technologies for emerging markets, although it may not be as big as some might expect. The high-throughput core technologies used in CT, MRI, X-ray, and other medical equipment are largely the same whether used in Africa, Japan, Germany, or Türkiye. However, in countries like Japan, Germany, and Türkiye, reimbursements are relatively low, making affordability and lifecycle cost optimization crucial.

In China, for example, where hospitals might handle hundreds of patients per day—up to 200 in a CT department and 100 in an MRI department—affordable solutions are essential. Therefore, while the technology itself may not differ drastically for emerging markets, the focus should be on supporting factors like training and digitalization.

In high-income countries, especially in metropolitan areas, medical professionals and technicians are still reasonably available, although this is becoming increasingly scarce. However, the focus should be on digital solutions such as Virtual Cockpits, digital scanning enablement, AI tools that assist radiologists in decision-making, and automated algorithms for patient positioning and scan management. While these innovations are important everywhere, they are essential in low- and middle-income countries to improve healthcare delivery. This is the balance I would recommend.