24-Feb-16 Siemens has released a new report based on research with healthcare providers across 13 countries including India, China, Poland, Russia and Turkey, which revealed four common pressures: demographic change; shifting patient expectations; requirement to reform; and the rising tide of healthcare technology. Digitalisation and smart financing have been recognised as the ultimate remedy for the increasing pressures on healthcare. [image: SFS]

24-Feb-16 The top medical authority in China aims to root out the practice of reselling hospital outpatient appointments. Hospital appointment 'scalping' entered the spotlight following an online video that showed a woman in a fit of rage after she failed to get an appointment. A scalper offered her an appointment for RMB4,500 (USD680), a huge markup on its RMB300 face value. [image: Xinhua News]

22-Feb-16 For many Chinese mHealth means not only being more aware of their health, but avoiding time-consuming waits in long hospital queues. These changes also hold the promise of changing the healthcare system to one that favors long-term community-based care, says a report by the China Center for mHealth Innovation. However, mhealth in China needs to achieve much more before the status quo is upended. Many apps are simply copycats out to make a quick buck and a consistent set of legal frameworks is yet to be developed. [image: China Daily]

22-Feb-16 The healthcare sector is expected to invest VND1.8 tn (USD81 mn) in IT in 2016-20, according to a plan approved by the Ministry of Health. There will be 33 IT projects in the next five years, including building a database on human resources, constructing infrastructure for the ministry’s data center, and developing an integrated information system for the ministry’s leadership. [image: Le Toan / Vietnam Investment Review]

21-Feb-16 News organizations have been furiously covering Zika virus, a mosquito-borne disease which reappeared in Brazil in late 2015 and has since resulted in over 1.6 mn cases. The World Health Organization declared Zika a public health emergency in Feb-16. From tracking the disease over time to visualizing the spread of mosquitoes, Zika has been covered in different compelling, visual ways. [image: Vox]