- Commitment to expand access to healthcare, with target of reaching 3.3 billion patient touchpoints worldwide in 2030, including 1.25 billion patient touchpoints in low- and middle-income countries
- Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in own operations (Scope 1 & 2) by 40 percent from baseline in 2019
- 30 percent of the company’s senior management roles are held by women
- Great Place to Work certification for 25 countries representing >80 percent of workforce
Siemens Healthineers announces an ambitious new target for healthcare access in its 2024 Sustainability Report, as well as progress in the other key areas of resource preservation and diverse and engaged employees. The company raises its target for patient touchpoints – a measure of the number of times patients interact with its systems, tests or software solutions – to 3.3 billion worldwide in 2030, from the 2.6 billion it reached in fiscal year (FY) 2024. This includes the commitment to reach 1.25 billion in low- and middle-income countries, up from 974 million in 2024.
At least 4.5 billion people, more than half of the world’s population, do not have adequate access to essential health services, as the World Health Organization has repeatedly warned in its reports.1 More than three-quarters of all deaths worldwide are preventable and can be traced back to treatable noncommunicable diseases in people under the age of 70. Low- and middle-income countries are disproportionately affected, accounting for 86 percent of these premature deaths.2 This dire situation is compounded by what the WHO describes as the greatest health threat to humanity: climate change.3
Siemens Healthineers is addressing these pressing global crises using its innovative strength, its unique portfolio and set of capabilities: patient twinning, precision therapy and digital, data and artificial intelligence (AI). A cornerstone of the company’s strategy is a robust sustainability approach, which improves healthcare access, preserves resources, fosters long-term growth, and positions the company as a resilient and forward-thinking partner having a transformative impact on healthcare systems worldwide.
Expanding patient impact
“Our latest sustainability report shows how we as a team have lived up to our purpose in the last year. Yet we don’t stand still but constantly challenge ourselves to reach more patients,” says Bernd Montag, chief executive of Siemens Healthineers. In line with the company's purpose – pioneering breakthroughs in healthcare for everyone, everywhere, sustainably – the company advances technology and harnesses AI to make innovations more accessible worldwide, with a special focus on reaching remote and underserved populations. For example, the Magnetom Free. platform can now be installed in places where MRI was previously not an option. This has opened new geographic areas for MRI, while also improving medical outcomes.4 The company also partners with stakeholders around the world to empower their healthcare workforce, transform the system of care and build ecosystems that benefit patients. Together with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria for example, both organizations will work together to increase the adoption rate of AI in diagnosing tuberculosis, a preventable, treatable, and curable infectious disease that is the most deadly infectious disease globally.5
The impact of these initiatives is measured through patient touchpoints. In FY2024, the company revised how it calculates this to reflect the full reach of its portfolio across regions, and now commits to achieve 3.3 billion patient touchpoints worldwide, with 1.25 billion in low- and middle-income countries, by 2030.
A qualified and highly skilled workforce is also key to enabling broader, more efficient and higher-quality patient care. The company is committed to addressing the shortage of qualified healthcare professionals by enhancing training and education. In FY2024, the company provided four million hours of training, and has a goal to deliver six million hours of training by 2030. Partnerships are crucial in this effort, exemplified in the company’s collaboration with the World Stroke Organization to strengthen the acute stroke workforce and enhance stroke treatment and care.
Resource preservation
Another key pillar of the company’s sustainability strategy is resource preservation, which focuses on creating a decarbonized and circular value chain. With the healthcare sector contributing 4.4% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions6, the company is cognizant of its responsibility to address the tension between the healthcare sector's conflicting roles as both a provider of health services and a contributor to emissions. The fact is, global health can only be achieved on the foundation of a healthy planet.
To meet its ambitious Scope 1 and 2 as well as Scope 3 emission reduction targets for 2030 and achieve Net Zero by 2050, Siemens Healthineers is implementing several measures. The company increased the share of renewable energy at its sites from 77 percent in FY2023 to 89 percent in FY2024. This helped significantly in reducing Scope 1 and 2 emissions from own operations by 40 percent relative to the baseline year FY2019.
Furthermore, the company is driving a shift towards circularity with a focus on minimizing resource consumption, reducing waste, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions across the value chain. Siemens Healthineers designs its products to be sustainable and efficient: upgradable, reusable, highly recyclable and capable of being refurbished. The refurbishment of spare parts, components and entire systems plays a central role in this. Reusing materials in the magnetic resonance imaging scanner Magnetom Sola eco system, for example, saves up to 79 percent of the material’s GHG emissions. This results in savings of up to 40 tons of CO2e7 emissions per system.8 Despite growing its comparable revenue by 4.7 percent in FY2024, Siemens Healthineers was still able to reduce its Scope 3 emissions comprising emissions generated by suppliers, transportation, and product use and business travel by two percent. The company is proactively working with customers to reduce their emissions, and optimizing its supply chain to minimize environmental impact.
Developing a diverse and engaged workforce
Siemens Healthineers has about 72,000 employees in more than 70 countries, united by the company’s purpose, and working to bring sustainable transformation to the healthcare industry. The company places particular emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion and is committed to attracting, developing and engaging diverse talents who drive advancements in healthcare and create meaningful impact for communities worldwide. The company achieved its target of having 30 percent of senior management positions held by women in FY2024, a year ahead of plan. This year Siemens Healthineers achieved the Great Place to Work certification for 25 countries worldwide, representing more than 80 percent of its employee population.
Strong strategy and targets
“Our sustainability strategy shapes our priorities across the company and creates value for our stakeholders. We're expanding access to healthcare for patients everywhere, working with our customers and suppliers to reduce our collective impact on the environment and engaging our teams in turning ambition into meaningful action. This is how we uphold our commitment towards a healthier, more sustainable world for us and future generations,” says Darleen Caron, chief human resources officer and member of the managing board. The sustainability strategy of Siemens Healthineers is organized into three core pillars: healthcare access, resource preservation, and diverse and engaged Healthineers, supported by the two enablers of volunteering and employee-led initiatives, and global and regional partnerships. The company’s commitments across these pillars and enablers leverage its foundation of innovation and robust governance to advance impact for its stakeholders – customers, patients, employees, shareholders and communities.
The comprehensive strategy, including measures, examples, and calculations, is available in the new Siemens Healthineers Sustainability Report for FY2024 here.
