19-Apr-16 The Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued draft rules that establish registration and quality system requirements for medical devices and IVDs distinct from pharmaceutical products. Although the new rules pertain only to manufacturers based in India, they are significant by showing that the government now distinguishes medical devices as a separate industry from pharmaceuticals. [image: Business Today]

14-Apr-16 The Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank (IDB) has signed a SAR200 mn (USD53 mn) agreement to provide medical care for poor rural people in India, funding 15 mobile health clinics. The money is part of a SAR1 bn fund which will also deploy 60 mobile clinics in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Yemen, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. [image: Arab News]

12-Apr-16 Emerging markets focused bank Standard Chartered has launched five eye care projects costing USD1.6 mn to bring in innovation and strengthen the delivery of eye-care to India by 2019. In India, around 15 million people are thought to be blind, with cataract the most avoidable blindness (63%), followed by refractive error (20%) and glaucoma (5.8%). Yet 80% of blindness is avoidable with the right treatment. [image: Standard Chartered Bank]

12-Apr-16 Microsoft is helping healthcare providers in India adapt IT tools like cloud, analytics and machine learning as the industry seeks to counter escalating costs of delivering services amid growing demand for better experience from patients. [image: ET Healthworld]

07-Apr-16 Dutch consumer electronics and healthcare giant Philips is looking to join the ranks of other global Fortune 500 companies in leveraging India's rapidly evolving startup ecosystem and is initiating moves to set up a venture fund that will look to invest in Indian healthcare technology startups. [image: Economic Times]