17-Jan-17 India’s Practo has raised US$55 mn in funding led by China’s Tencent. The funds will be used to foray into health insurance, bundling it with its consumer-facing services. Practo aggregates over 200,000 doctors across 10,000 hospitals, 8,000 diagnostic centers and 4,000 wellness and fitness centers in India, Brazil, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. [image: Tech In Asia]

11-Jan-17 Under pressure Thailand is seeking new markets and promoting health checks. Thailand is under pressure from competition and weaker economies in key source regions - Russia and Middle East. The government is beginning to move promotional efforts to newer markets of China and Indochina. [image: IMTJ]

30-Dec-16 According to China’s leading online travel marketplace, Ctrip, Chinese medical tourism grew to reach 500,000 outbound trips in 2016, and Ctrip's medical tourism business grew by 500%, having been launched in Sep 2015. Health checks made up over 50% of Chinese medical tourism trips in 2016. Among Ctrip’s customers, Japan was the most popular destination followed by Korea. [image: Shutterstock / Jing Daily]

26-Nov-16 Thailand has come up with a new visa scheme in a bid to boost its medical tourism sector. The long-stay visa for foreigners aged 50 or older has been extended to 10 years, from one. It requires eligible foreigners to have a monthly income of at least THB100,000 (USD2,800) or a bank deposit of at least THB3 mn (USD84,000). [image: Golden Emperor]

24-Oct-16 Leading Singaporean medical service provider Raffles Medical Group is eager to enlarge its footprint in Japan, encouraged by the success of the clinic it launched in Osaka in 2015. The facility has received a steady flow of patients thanks to the large number of Chinese tourists visiting the city. [image: Nikkei Asian Review]