17-Mar-17 TPG, the US alternative-investment firm, sees opportunities in healthcare in Asia to meet untapped demand in some of the fastest-growing economies. The region is short of quality healthcare infrastructure, said Jim Coulter, co-CEO. TPG’s Asian investment arm manages USD6 bn in assets, including a stake in the United Family Healthcare chain of high-end Chinese hospitals. [image: Bloomberg]

16-Mar-17 Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand plans to introduce robots into the dispensing process at its pharmacies to improve accuracy in preparing patients' prescriptions, increasing patient safety, and speeding up the hospital's pharmacy services. Currently the hospital handles more than 2 mn lists of medicine per year for patients and is targeting zero errors after the robots are introduced. [image: Bangkok Post]

16-Mar-17 N Health, a unit under Thailand's BDMS hospital group, has launched a medical laboratory in Yangon, Myanmar, with local partners, to tap growing opportunities there. Since the civilian government started in 2011, health expenditures have risen over 10 times and this is just the beginning," said Dr Win Zaw Aung, managing director of Sea Lion Group. [image: Bangkok Post]

12-Mar-17 Private healthcare institutions in emerging Asian economies are cutting costs to offer high-quality care at 50-70% the price of large private hospitals. QualiMed in the Philippines has kept labor costs down by hiring young doctors who cannot afford a hospital space. Columbia Asia keeps operating costs low by focusing on high-demand fields. [image: Nikkei Asian Review]

10-Mar-17 Seattle-based Columbia Pacific, owner of Columbia Asia Hospital Group, has acquired Serene Senior Care, a leading player in the housing segment for senior citizens in India. Columbia Pacific said it will significantly expand its senior housing portfolio over the next five years. It currently operates 735 units in South India, and plans to expand to 1,700 units by fall 2017. [image: Corp Expansion]