Global Citizenship

Our Priorities Enhancing Access

Abbott brings high-quality medicines to patients and health care professionals in remote parts of India. These customers are served by a network of specially trained sales representatives – who, in many cases, grew up in those same villages.

Expanding access to health care for patients around the world is a key component of Abbott's commitment to citizenship and is integral to our core business strategy. At the same time, expanding health care access entails a number of complex challenges.

One of the most critical challenges facing our society is a broad lack of awareness about health care issues and treatments – even among health care practitioners in many countries. Additionally, chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, central nervous system disorders and heart disease are increasingly prevalent in the developing world. In China, for example, more than 40 million people have diabetes, and an additional 20 million suffer impaired glucose tolerance. Similarly, in India, more than 118 million patients have hypertension. These trends are expected to intensify as citizens of these and other developing nations adopt increasingly Western diets and more sedentary lifestyles.

We work with a wide range of partners to improve the health and status of women and children in Afghanistan, Cambodia, China and Vietnam. We also donate products to humanitarian relief agencies serving these vulnerable populations.

Many countries lack an infrastructure for delivering health care services – with a shortage of health care professionals trained in modern diagnosis and treatment protocols, a limited number of facilities to care for patients, poor sanitation and a lack of modern transportation. Additionally, the social stigmas accompanying many diseases can interfere with patients' ability to get the right diagnosis and treatment.

Affordability of health care products is a complex issue. The proportion of health care costs borne by individuals, governments and employers around the world varies substantially from one country to another. The global economic downturn has made it more difficult for governments in many countries to manage their national, provincial and state budgets – with health care funding competing against other priorities such as education, food assistance programs, elder care and public works.

Against this challenging backdrop, Abbott works to help increase access to a wide range of health care services, as well as Abbott products. We partner with government agencies, health care professional societies, non-governmental organizations and other key stakeholders on interventions to help build health care infrastructure and capacity; increase the quality and frequency of health care practitioner training; and educate patients about disease awareness, symptom management and treatment options. Abbott works with stakeholders in the markets where we do business to help local health care providers understand how best to use our products. Abbott strives to design pricing strategies for each country that maximize access to needed health care products while enabling us to operate our business in a sustainable manner.