12 notable Medtech & Healthcare growth markets stories from 2014, month-by-month

 31-Dec-14, Global Growth Markets

There's been a lot going on in emerging markets in 2014. Here's a look back at 12 notable Medtech and Healthcare growth markets stories that you may have missed, month-by-month:
 

January Indonesia’s new national health insurance scheme - More than 1,700 hospitals in Indonesia signed up as operators for social security in the country’s new National Health Insurance scheme.

February WHO cites Philippines for advanced e-Health Plan - The World Health Organisation lauded the Philippine e-Health Strategic Framework, saying it pushes the Philippines way ahead of many other countries.
 

March Korea to nurture medical device industry - Korea announced plans to become one of the top seven countries in global medical equipment by 2020, reminiscent of its plan 15 years ago to become one of the top three in mobile phones - it happened!
 

April Policyholders to pay more for coverage in Malaysia - Faced with higher claims, many health insurance companies in Malaysia are increasing their charges and premiums by up to 20%.

May Thailand’s medical tourism crown at risk - Thailand is in danger of losing its position as the world's top destination for medical tourism due to political unrest and competition from Korea and the Philippines.

June India to set up e-health regulator - India's Ministry of Health is hoping to achieve remote consultation, diagnosis and treatment through tele-medicine, with a new e-health authority.

July One old person in Korea for every two productive people - Korea currently has the third lowest dependency ratio, but due to its rapidly ageing population this will become the fifth highest by 2036.
 

August Alibaba could leapfrog to the forefront of digital health in China - Alibaba announced Chinese hospitals can now accept Alipay for registering, paying and checking test results using a mobile device.
 

September Southeast Asia’s health app explosion - As more people gain access to connected devices, entrepreneurs and organisations across Southeast Asia see potential in healthcare with new web and mobile applications.

October Turkey’s pharma market is ripe for profit - Turkey has traditionally focused on generics, but more recently the industry has shifted towards a more intensive focus on R&D.

November Affordable telemedicine diagnostic machine could disrupt healthcare in India - The health kits allow doctors to diagnose and advise patients remotely, via technologies such as Skype and FaceTime.
 

December China healthcare draws investors - Mergers and acquisitions in China’s healthcare sector rose to a record USD11.3 billion in the first 11 months of 2014, up 13% from a year earlier.

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