12-Jul-16 In the Philippines, the healthcare system is challenged by resource constraints, affordability and dated health IT systems. The Department of Health reports there are 10 hospital beds per 10,000 population - half the WHO recommended number. To address these challenges, the government has set goals complementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 in achieving good health and well-being. [image: Manila Bulletin]

11-Jul-16 Ho Chi Minh City's Department of Health has encouraged public hospitals to begin preparing for full financial and managerial autonomy. Financial autonomy among hospitals is designed to help reduce state expenditures so that funds can be diverted to preventive medicine and targeted community-care programmes. [image: Phương Vy]

09-Jul-16 Better sharing of information and use of data will be among the tools that Singapore will use to improve its handling of infectious disease outbreaks. The Ministry of Health will also compile data from different sources and design an IT system that triggers warnings if there are abnormalities, so that investigations can begin promptly. [image: Today]

05-Jul-16 Malaysian inpatient admissions appear finally to have turned around in the first quarter of 2016 after three consecutive quarters of decline, with IHH Healthcare Bhd up 10% year-on-year and KPJ Healthcare Bhd up 4%. The turnaround suggests that the drag on healthcare business volume from the implementation of the goods and services tax has finally worn off. [image: Bloomberg / Affin Hwang forecasts]

06-Jul-16 There are many new private hospitals up and running in HCMC but a majority of them are grappling with lower-than-expected patient visit rates although their equipment is modern, according to the HCMC Department of Health. This is a paradox, as public hospitals have long been overwhelmed by increasingly large numbers of patient visits. [image: VNA/VNS The Anh]