Miguel de Foronda, who leads Philips Ibérica and operations in Italy, Israel, and Greece, delivered a blunt warning at the VII Simposio del Observatorio de la Sanidad. Spanish hospitals face a make-or-break moment: they must adopt more technology or risk falling behind as patient numbers climb and resources shrink. Foronda said new idea is now a matter of survival, not a luxury.
Philips has begun introducing new tools in Spain. The company rolled out the country’s first Verida spectral CT scanner, which uses spectral detection and artificial intelligence to sharpen images and speed up diagnosis. Foronda called the results “tremendous.” Patients now get more accurate answers and avoid repeat tests. Philips has also put Areta to work in radiotherapy planning and launched Verida RT, which connects imaging and therapy in one system.
Clínica Universidad de Navarra and Siemens Healthineers have launched a project that integrates CT, ECG, lab results, medical reports, and retinal images from 15,429 patients. All data is pseudonymized and processed locally, without cloud services.
Foronda said intervention is where the biggest change is happening. He pointed to SmartIQ, a dose-reduction tool built in Madrid, and LumiGuide Force, which uses smart catheters and AI navigation to map anatomy and guide device placement. “With AI we can visualize the anatomy and handle to place the devices that need to be placed in the patient,” he said. Procedures are shifting from conventional imaging to real-time, data-driven care.
Looking back fifteen years, Foronda recalled a time when healthcare new idea focused only on professionals. The bar is higher now. Solutions must scale and endure while improving diagnosis. Foronda’s view of sustainability is down to earth: technology must be easy to roll out and reach more people, while helping deliver better care with fewer staff. The aim is to eliminate needless repeat work, raise productivity, and ensure every new tool helps patients.
The Comunidad de Madrid has announced plans to expand AI in public healthcare through the CRON-IA project, which aims to detect early complications in about 2 million chronic patients. Parallel programs such as Personaliz@ and PREVEN-IA focus on remote monitoring and the creation of digital twins using clinical, genomic, and imaging data.
Foronda put data at the center of this push. “The data is basic. The business units related to it are the ones gaining the most momentum, it is transversal. Data will mean a revolution and we are acting in medical imaging, in Cardiology and in critical care,” he said. The challenge goes beyond gathering information: it must be high quality and fit into clinical routines that improve care and efficiency.
Philips is not relying solely on acquisitions to get ahead. Foronda was direct: “It seems that everything consists of buying companies, but it is not always the smartest. The smartest thing is to take advantage of knowledge, knowledge is now very dispersed.” He said AI development is spread across the field, and that partnering often works better than buying out rivals.
Addressing Spain’s new government, Foronda urged leaders to put technology front and center. “To the new Government I ask that it gives technology the importance it has. Technology has greatly impacted life expectancy in Cardiology,” he said. His message was direct: if Spain wants to keep improving health outcomes, it cannot afford to stand still.
Pressure to modernize is mounting across Spain’s health sector. Recent reporting on political promises to overhaul the system shows that policy, investment, and technology adoption will determine whether Spain can keep pace with an aging population and rising rates of chronic illness.
Foronda said Philips is not chasing headlines or flashy gadgets. The company wants to bring new idea into everyday care, with each advance, from AI imaging to smarter intervention, delivering benefits for patients and staff.
