05-Jan-17 Airline group ANA is getting into the medical tourism trade, looking to make long-term fliers of affluent Chinese and others seeking quality care in Japan. It will offer packages for Chinese travelers, partnering with Kameda Medical Center in Chiba Prefecture. Kameda began offering checkups for Chinese customers in 2010 and now serves around 200 visitors a year. [image: ftnNEWS]

02-Mar-17 Calls are mounting in Australia for government action against obesity and poor diets, which experts warn could lead to a public health crisis. In 2014-15, 63% of Australian adults were overweight or obese. The figure for children aged 5-17 years was 27%. Obese or overweight people are more prone to chronic conditions including heart disease, cancer and diabetes. [image: Reuters]

08-Feb-17 Vietnam plans to issue electronic health security cards to its citizens verifying their right to medical services. The push to digitize the system is aimed at seamless healthcare delivery and insurance across the country. Electronic healthcare registries in all 63 cities and provinces will be synced together so that insurance plans will have to accept all cardholders. [image: VN Express / Dang Phuong Lan]

01-Mar-17 Japan's national health insurance logged a deficit of JPY284 bn yen (USD2.5 bn) in 2015 as an injection of public funds failed to compensate for rising costs stemming from an aging subscriber pool and pricey new treatments. The main culprit was a rise in benefit payments, which grew 2.1%. High-priced hepatitis C drugs Sovaldi and Harvoni also played a role. [image: Nikkei Asian Reveiw]

23-Feb-17 Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng wants to make Penang into a medical city with excellent hospitals, highly trained doctors and affordable care. The government seeks to bring in foreign and local investment to enhance healthcare facilities. Lim explains: "medical tourism is booming in Malaysia... Investment is important to reinforce Malaysia’s position as the number one medical tourism destination." [image: Investvine]