14-Apr-17 China's Aier Eye Hospital plans to purchase the largest listed eye-clinic group in Europe, making it the world's largest ophthalmic medical group. It announced an offer to buy Spain's Clinica Baviera SA, specializing in laser eye surgery, with its 280 ophthalmologists and 76 eye clinics in Spain, Germany and Italy. The acquisition will cost Aier EUR152 mn (USD162 mn). [image: Ge Yinian / China Daily]

13-Apr-17 More than a decade after Singaporean hospitals started experimenting with the technology, a national platform for telemedicine has been launched, paving the way for restructured hospitals and other healthcare institutions as well as possibly general practitioners in the future, to offer consultations remotely. Under the initiative, patients can consult doctors on selected conditions from anywhere with an Internet connection. [image: Robin Choo]

19-Apr-17 Hospitals in Dubai are linking up with medical tourism facilitators as the strong dirham deters overseas patients. The number of British medical tourists fell by about 10 per cent at the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery Hospital as the pound lost more than 16 per cent against the dirham, making cosmetic medical procedures more expensive in the UAE. [image: AACSH]

12-Apr-17 Indian health tech startup Lybrate has raised USD3 mn in new funding to achieve its goal of connecting patients with doctors in India and helping to raise awareness of basic medical practices. The startup’s biggest rival is Practo, which offers doctor-finding and health information, and has also raised several million US dollars in past month.

12-Apr-17 Singaporean patients will soon be able to see their doctors from the comfort of their home, with the launch of a national video consultation platform. The cloud-based platform allows for video conferencing, file sharing and the display of medical reports or images during consultations. Six public institutions will launch the system, which is accessible via smartphone or computer. [image: Nadia Jansen Hassan / Channel News Asia]