16-May-16 The Indian medical tourism industry is expected to reach USD6 bn by 2018, with the number of arrivals set to double over the next four years. "Hospitals participating in medical tourism are increasing focus on niche segments; hospitals specialising in dental, reproductive and wellness are also forming a sizeable portion,” said Dr Sudarshan Ballal, Chairman of Manipal Health Enterprises. [image: Deccan Herald]

13-May-16 Pharmacy customers in Australia can now access a GP from their local community pharmacy. ReadyCare is a telemedicine service where customers can talk to a doctor by phone or video 24/7. It is about community pharmacies facilitating access to a quality telemedicine service at times and in areas where a patient’s access to local GP services are limited. [image: AJP Online]

13-May-16 With the Philhealth mandate to cover 100% of the population, demand for quality, affordable healthcare is on the rise. The largest private provider, Metro Pacific, counts eleven hospitals with 3,000 beds. A relatively new entrant is the Qualimed Health Network, owned by Mercado Hospital Group and Ayala Land. Qualimed has seven facilities with four more scheduled to open in 2016. [image: Inquirer]

12-May-16 India's National Pharmaceutical Pricing Agency has reduced the prices of 54 indispensable medicines; the cut going up to 55%. This move, a repetition of an earlier revision that capped the prices of another 54 drugs, aims at ensuring that important medication, becomes affordable for a wider strata of people. [image: Getty Images]

12-May-16 More than 50% of asthma patients have poor control of their disease, according to the Society of Asthma and Allergy and Clinical Immunology in HCMC. It said many patients had not received proper treatment. A number of local medical establishments do not have a spirometry machine, and some do not have technicians skilled in using it. [image: vnexpress.net]