05-Jan-16 Singapore embarks on the Smart Nation initiative, big data can help beef up the response to any disease outbreak. It is critical to maintain timely data on diagnoses, and symptoms reported by patients. The biggest benefit may come in searching out the unknown unknowns. Here, big data could be coupled with “smart software”, using machine learning to help guide astute human observers. [image: Today]

05-Jan-16 Thailand has seen more than 2 mn foreign patients at 37 hospitals since 2012, compared with Singapore's 850,000. Bangkok Hospital Group, Thailand's largest private hospital operator, has a target of 50 hospitals, up from the existing 42. Bumrungrad International, is moving into Myanmar, and Samitivej Hospital Group plans to expand throughout ASEAN and into Japan and the Middle East. [image: Dr Prem Global Healthcare]

03-Jan-16 Singapore will ramp healthcare capabilities to meet the rise in demand from an ageing population. The number of people aged 65+ will more than double from 430,000 to 900,000 by 2030. Several new eldercare centres will be opened, including three in Yishun. The opening of two hospitals in 2015, with 800 beds, should ease the severe bed crunch of recent years. [image: ST File]

11-Dec-15 Singapore will seek to improve healthcare accessibility for patients, and promote innovation in medical technology, the Minister for Trade and Industry has said. To boost healthcare accessibility, he said the healthcare workforce has to grow by 50% by 2020. Singapore will also add at least 1,700 acute beds and double the number of community hospital beds to 3,000. [image: APACMed]

26-Nov-15 Indian health tech startup Practo has launched a customized app for physicians, paediatricians and dentists that will allow them digitally to prescribe laboratory tests and check results in real time. The app, Practo Ray, also includes a database of nearly 100,000 commonly prescribed medicines. [image: The Economic Times]