18-Feb-16 Patients from all over the world flock to India for treatment, drawn by the value for money. Cardiac surgery costs USD6,000 compared to USD20,000 in Russia, while a liver transplant that would cost USD200,000 in the US can be had for USD14,000. India receives about 230,000 medical tourists a year. Apollo Hospitals derives 15% of its revenue from medical tourists. [image: Ninad Sheth]

18-Feb-16 According to some experts, Chinese orthopaedics is not as specialized as in Western countries. Rehabilitation is also a concern, with many saying that the local physical therapy industry lacks modern methods. There is also a lack of public awareness of prevention. "People wear jeans or non-sports shoes in marathons," said Dr Derk Rietveld of Parkway Health in Shanghai. [image: Global Times]

18-Feb-16 If current trends continue, half the world’s population (4.8 bn people) will be short-sighted in just over three decades, with one-fifth of those expected to have a significantly increased risk of blindness. 96% of teenagers in Korea are short-sighted and in Singapore, China and Japan the rate is around 80-90%. [image: Nomad_Soul / Shutterstock.com]

17-Feb-16 The Therapeutic Goods Administration in Australia has granted Abbott approval for its new glucose monitoring system, FreeStyle Libre. The technology removes the need for finger pricks and monitors glucose levels through a device worn on the back of the arm and secured by an adhesive pad. A handheld reader is scanned over the sensor to get a glucose result. [image: Abbott]

17-Feb-16 Bausch + Lomb has entered a partnership in India with global technology company Bosch. This cooperation brings together leading providers of eye care solutions and technology in India, to market diagnostic devices in the ophthalmic segment. Bausch + Lomb will market Bosch's Fundus retina camera, which can detect conditions such as cataract at an early stage. [image: Bausch & Lomb]