24-Feb-15 While Australia’s healthcare system might suffer from some inefficiencies, the nation’s spending is roughly in line with that of other OECD countries. Australia spends a slightly lower proportion of GDP on healthcare (5.8%), compared with other nations in the OECD’s health expenditure database (6.6%), but actually spends more per-capita. [image: SBS]

05-Feb-15 The Government of Myanmar signed a new agreement with the World Bank to bring improved maternal, newborn and child healthcare to millions of mothers and their young children. The Essential Health Services Access Project will provide US$100 million in funding for increased and improved coverage of critical health services across Myanmar’s 330 townships. [image: Joint Learning Network]

27-Jan-15 The second phase of a healthcare program exclusively dedicated to people in Vietnam’s Central Highlands has started in Dak Lak. The Asian Development Bank has committed USD16.2 million to the program up to 2018. The initial goal of the program is to provide basic medical checks for one million residents in the region. [image: Tuoi Tre News]

15-Jan-15 Two recently released studies predict that Indonesia’s government will be unable to achieve universal health coverage by 2019 as planned. There is a huge gap in access to healthcare between different regions. A lack of hospitals in underdeveloped regions has prevented people accessing healthcare, leading to low claim rates. [image: Moynier Liana]

14-Jan-15 Overall, the Chinese government created lots of space for the private sector in 2014, meaning demand remained strong and companies benefited. This trend is likely to continue in 2015, especially if initiatives such as online drug sales, foreign participation in health services, and more funding for doctors’ pay, CFDA and telemedicine, are continued. [image: Forbes]