04-May-17 As populations age and workforces decline, Southeast Asia is counting on high-tech remedies to turn back the clock. Large hospital operators are working with IBM to leverage AI and IoT to enhance patient outcomes, for example. [image: United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific]

28-Apr-17  As the overall level of affluence in China has increased an increasing proportion of households has reached the level where they are commercially attractive to international marketers, typically income of >USD20k. In 2016 there were 32 cities with 100,000 households of >USD50k income. With the exceptions of Chongqing, Wuhan, Chengdu, Changsha and Kunming, they are located in the east. [image: Global Demographics]

14-Mar-17 Alex Gorsky, CEO of Johnson & Johnson said: "We believe that the macro trends - a large population, urbanisation, growing middle class, demand for healthier lifestyles and care choices - remain favourable for... China's healthcare industry. J&J has a legacy of translating technological innovation and medical science breakthroughs into industrial outputs that address the needs of patients and consumers." [image: China Daily]

12-Mar-17 China has said its population will peak to 1.45 bn by 2030 and drop to 1.1 bn towards 2100, as it shrugged off concerns over a declining labour force. In 2016 China relaxed its One Child Policy amid concerns over a rapidly ageing population. Following the second-child policy, a total of 18.46 mn births were recorded across China in 2016. [image: The Siasat Daily]

02-Mar-17 Calls are mounting in Australia for government action against obesity and poor diets, which experts warn could lead to a public health crisis. In 2014-15, 63% of Australian adults were overweight or obese. The figure for children aged 5-17 years was 27%. Obese or overweight people are more prone to chronic conditions including heart disease, cancer and diabetes. [image: Reuters]