02-Oct-14 China's ageing population, the age profile of rural-to-urban migrants and increasing affluence all mean that urban 40-64 year-olds earning over USD20k are the fastest growing population segment. There are currently 98 million and this will more than double to 236 million by 2024, implying a big rise in demand for healthcare and wellness. [image: Global Demographics]

03-Sep-14 Hot on the tail of Alibaba's Taobao being accepted for payment in some hospitals in China, Tencent has addressed a major barrier to adoption by allowing patients to pay for hospital services in Guangdong with its WeChat system, and crucially, integrating with the government health insurance system which automatically picks up the eligible portion of the bill. [image: SCMP]

18-Sep-14 The provincial government of Sichuan is constructing 10 new hospitals with an integrated telemedicine system that aims to promote resource sharing between hospitals. This is part of an initiative from the central government announced in August, requiring local government to include telemedicine services in their planning and to provide capital support.

15-Sep-14 In Thailand, private hospitals have become a platform for change, attracting increasing numbers of foreign patients, with medical tourists from China becoming a major focus.

28-Aug-14 China's Lepu Medical has set up a JV in Beijing to develop wearable medical devices, mainly targeting diabetes and cardiac disease monitoring and management products such as mobile ECG, mobile blood glucose meters and test strips, and related apps and accessories. [image: Dream Designs]