Fighting COVID-19 with selflessness, determination and fortitude

Society is continuing to grapple with the extraordinary medical and economic challenges triggered by COVID-19 and recognising the unbearable loss of human life it is leaving in its wake. We are also seeing, for the first time in over a generation, a tremendous global effort being made to hold onto and protect as many lives as possible. Stories are ringing out around the world of the scientific, technological and medical leaps taking place at speed to flatten the outbreak and move us closer to a vaccine. This is extremely impressive and the response speaks to the speed and determination of the human spirit when faced with a crisis of such magnitude.

Equally impressive, and perhaps even more humbling, are the incredible acts of human kindness and resolve taking place every day. In the NHS. In grocery stores. In communities. In the modesty of Captain Tom Moore who has raised a staggering amount of funds for the NHS. Every day, people are pulling together to try to care for as many family, friends and neighbours as possible and to do their part, however large or small it may be.

Like many of you, I am deeply proud of the NHS and the medical professionals at the helm and on the front lines, caring for those greatest affected. Equally, I am grateful for the daily efforts I see of people pulling together in my personal and professional life; on my street, in my village, across the healthcare community and particularly at Philips UKI.

I am tremendously proud of our engineering team who have approached the COVID-19 pandemic with a selfless mindset, understanding the importance of the NHS’s needs to urgently ramp-up their operations at this unprecedented time. 

I hear daily stories about our engineers who have risen far above what’s expected of anyone at this time, including moving out of their home to protect families whilst ensuring they can continue working. They are travelling not only to high-density sites, but also in many cases to distant and remote areas, as the pandemic continues to unfold. They are volunteering to support efforts in other parts of the business, to support the increased flow and productivity of our sleep and respiratory and monitoring and analytic devices to the NHS. They are stepping in to take shifts for colleagues, many of whom have had to self-isolate over the past month. And they are supporting our remote-resolution team, when they are unable to work in the field due to self-isolation.

Every one of our engineers have remained focused and supportive of our customer and business needs, continuing in the face of adversity. I couldn’t be more proud of their dedication and the integrity and selflessness that they exhibit every day and thank them for the inspiration they set for others in doing so.