Philips Korea is looking to take the lead in bridging health care with advanced technology to offer local customers the most efficient and cost-effective services, its chief executive said Tuesday.

“Digitalization is the key to redesigning health care to best benefit Korean society,” Philips Korea CEO Dominique Oh said during a press conference in Seoul on Tuesday to mark the company’s 40th anniversary.

Calling itself a health-tech company, Philips is leveraging its medical technologies and clinical insights to build new solutions which reduce health care costs and improve service quality in Korea, a highly health-conscious nation with a fast-aging population.

The Amsterdam-based company plans to launch a number of health care solutions in Korea in the near future, including its eICU monitoring program for use inside critical care wards and GoSafe, a personalized emergency response system for the elderly.

The eICU program, currently in use by some 500 hospitals in the U.S., can help solve Korea’s medical personnel shortage problems as it allows four nurses to monitor about 200 beds at once, Oh explained.

GoSafe can detect a person’s fall with 98 percent accuracy, ensuring help in case of heart attack or stroke.

Other incoming products include the PulseRelief Wireless Electrotherapy -- two attachable pads that connect to a smartphone app and release pain-relieving electronic pulses -- and the Digital Pathology system which aids medical diagnosis.

By Sohn Ji-young (jys@heraldcorp.com)