30-Mar-15 It may be in China that the digital innovations which will eventually transform healthcare everywhere will first take hold. The country’s Internet companies see a huge opportunity. Alibaba Health has launched an app that lets users find nearby pharmacies. Tencent has a doctor appointment system using WeChat and WePay. Beijing’s government is using Baidu’s 'health cloud' service. [image: Bloomberg View]

29-Mar-15 The Drugs Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has notified the Medical Devices Rules 2015, bringing medical devices under comprehensive regulatory control for the first time in Pakistan. The country now claims to be ahead of its neighbours such as India and Bangladesh with respect to regulations specific to medical devices. [image: Fahrenheit211]

27-Mar-15 In the wake of PT Mitra Keluarga Karyasehat's successful IPO in Jakarta, financial analysts in Indonesia say that publicly-traded companies in the healthcare and hospital sector are set to see a brighter business outlook, as Indonesians are increasingly becoming more concerned about their health, especially the growing middle classes. This trend is supported by various government initiatives. [image: Tempo]

27-Mar-15 Telemedicine that provides healthcare at a distance and is restricted to video conferencing between patients and doctors could soon be a thing of the past. An Indian team is close to developing a hand-held device that can diagnose 15 different medical conditions and monitor vital signs for around 72 hours. [image: American Megatrends Inc.]

26-Mar-15 Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has said drastic measures to facilitate the development of private healthcare are needed, including removing "all obstacles", in an effort to reduce patient overload. The PM also encouraged IT and technology in medical examinations, hospital management, medical records and health insurance. [image: VNA]