27-Nov-14 A new OECD report says despite a 10% improvement in life expectancy over the past 20 years, most Asia-Pacific countries still need to step up efforts to give people access to affordable, quality healthcare. Too many people, especially women, cannot get the treatment they need due to high costs, difficulties in getting permission to see a doctor, or a lack of providers in rural areas. [image: OECD]

26-Nov-14 China plans to scrap retail price caps on all drugs as early as the start of 2015, giving market forces a larger role in an industry where price controls have contributed to supply shortages. A recent crackdown on high prices pushed some Chinese firms out of business and forced global drug-makers to rethink their China strategy. [image: My Jungle Blog]

24-Nov-14 Malaysia’s Deputy Health Minister has said the infrastructure and culture of the country’s healthcare needs to be re-engineered to deliver better services to its people, in the face of complexity caused by changing disease patterns and reform initiatives. The government is supporting health research by making it a national agenda. [image: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas]

23-Nov-14 A Chinese health official has said that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) will take a bigger role in medical reform in future as it has certain advantages in both prevention and care. In 2013, China’s TCM output was over USD91 billion, one third of the country’s medicine industry. [image: China Daily Europe]

18-Nov-14 Singapore-based RingMD has launched its first app, designed to connect patients anywhere in the world to doctors anywhere in the world. The platform currently has about 100 doctors, mostly in Singapore, who currently mainly see patients from Southeast Asia. Besides the international focus, what sets RingMD apart is a marketplace approach to virtual care. [image: MobiHealthNews]