16-May-15 After several horrific cases of malfunctioning medical devices, India's health ministry has approved a materio vigilance program in an effort to ensure safety. Despite being a USD3.1 bn market, India has no system for registering adverse events or tracking safety records. The proposed plan envisages a nation-wide programme involving district hospitals, medical colleges and corporate hospitals. [image: Health Technology]

13-May-15 Vietnamese tech company Links Toan Cau has set an ambitious goal of connecting the information networks of healthcare institutions and hospitals nationwide, hoping to bring bigger benefits to patients. The endeavor has gained initial success with technical support from its Japanese partner, Techno Project Japan Co. [image: The Saigon Times]

12-May-15 Elderly people can now be monitored by a new system that detects everyday sounds without violating their privacy. Developed by Fujitsu, the system uses microphones connected to a data centre which alerts family members or a security firm if an abnormality is detected. Fujitsu said it only sends wavelengths, ensuring that conversations cannot be heard by third parties. [image: The Asahi Shimbun]

24-Apr-15 Industry players are teaming up to create the first medical device industry association focused solely on Asia. The member companies of the just-launched Asia Pacific Medical Technology Association (APACMed) include Abbott, Baxter, B. Braun, Becton Dickinson, Boston Scientific, Cardinal Health, GE Healthcare, Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, Philips, Siemens, Stryker and Zimmer. [image: APACMed]

01-May-15 Latin America's healthcare market is evolving in ways that present new opportunities for foreign firms willing to invest in the region. Four key themes driving changes are demographic shifts, chronic diseases, technology innovations and policy changes. Five key opportunities include rapid pharma sales growth, increasing dominance of generics, consolidation of pharmacies, over 16,000 hospitals, and unchallenged demand for imported med tech. [image: Global Health Intelligence]