31-Aug-16 The Brazilian economic crisis could see universal healthcare replaced by US-style compulsory health insurance. The Government has new plans for healthcare as part of plans to slash expenditure. The proposed cuts could have a catastrophic effect both for the 19 mn Brazilians living under USD3.10 per day and for the rapidly expanding middle class who rely on public healthcare. [image: IMTJ]

14-Aug-16 The Philippines Department of Health has stressed the need to integrate eye care into public health at the local government level, disclosing that nearly 300,000 Filipinos are blind in both eyes. The estimated number of persons who have bilateral blindness is 295,152, 59% of which is due to cataract and 14% due to uncorrected refractive errors. [image: Resources for the Blind]

31-Aug-16 Many public hospitals in Vietnam's provinces have struggled to keep their doctors, particularly experienced and qualified medical practitioners. The exodus from public hospitals to the private sector due to higher salaries and better working conditions has increased not only in big cities like Hanoi and HCMC but also in many provinces, including Can Tho, Dong Nai, and Ca Mau. [image: Vietnam Breaking News]

30-Aug-16 Taiwanese startup Health2Sync has secured a USD3 mn Series A investment. Health2Sync aims to revolutionise diabetes through automated care and analytics. The funding will be used to continue product development and accelerate growth in Japan, China and Southeast Asia. Health2Sync provides insights to help patients learn factors affect their blood sugar and make lifestyle changes. [image: Indiegogo]

30-Aug-16 China’s State Council has declared that healthcare big data is a fundamental, strategic resource. By 2020, it plans to establish and continuously improve the inter-connectivity of Public Health Information Platforms and National Medicine Purchasing Business Platforms, to reduce information barriers thereby boosting sharing and utilisation of healthcare data, and to set up 100 model regional clinical data demonstrators. [image: McKinsey]