30-Aug-16 Australia’s first large-scale trial of telehealth has shown it could save up to AUD3 bn (USD2.3 bn) a year. The research involved trialling telehealth systems with 287 patients over 12 months. It showed savings of 24% to the healthcare system made through falls in the number and cost of GP visits, specialist visits and procedures. [image: CSIRO]

29-Aug-16 Healthcare costs in Malaysia have crept up as much as 15% annually over the past three years. The depreciation of the Ringgit is partly to blame for the increasingly expensive medical bills. Longer queues in public hospitals, while the number of patients at private hospitals has dropped 20%, expose the structural problem of the healthcare system. [image: The Edge Markets / Malaysia Health Ministry / World Bank]

25-Aug-16 As incomes rise, many China residents are seeking out better quality care than that provided by public hospitals. They want easier ways to book appointments, shorter waits and greater individual attention from doctors. The demand is expected to drive the private health insurance market to USD165 bn in 2020 from USD36 bn in 2015. [image: South China Morning Post]

25-Aug-16 Elderly healthcare costs in Singapore are projected to rise tenfold over the next 15 years to more than USD49 bn annually. This means an average of USD37,427 will be spent on healthcare for each elderly person by 2030, the highest in the Asia-Pacific region, just ahead of Australia. [image: Tiffany Goh / The Straits Times]

19-Aug-16 Nearly 75% of dispensaries, 60% of hospitals and 80% of doctors are located in urban areas in India, serving only 28% of the country, says a new report released by the Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India. The report pointed out that non-communicable diseases account for 60% of deaths, estimated to cost the country USD4.58 tn by 2030. [image: Shutterstock / Hindustan Times]