07-Oct-14 Online health is shaping up to be a hot new industry in China, as an increasing number of hospitals begin providing cyber services. According to Alibaba, 15 hospitals across China have joined the "Future Hospital" scheme initiated by its online payment platform Alipay. However it does not (yet) link up with China’s health insurance system. (Image: Alipay)

06-Oct-14 The CEOs of China’s iCareNewLife and Innospring have expressed optimism about smart health monitoring devices, especially in the maternal market, because Chinese parents arewilling to spend on their children's future, starting as early as pregnancy. The key is interaction between patients and machines, for example sharing babies' heartbeats on social media. (Image: Mobisante)

06-Oct-14 Korea's Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP) has selected 15 projects for investment including three in medical technology and 12 in the bio-health area. These include mobile heart rate monitoring devices, smart wheelchairs, a method to diagnose Internet and game addiction, and body-friendly bio-implants.

03-Sep-14 Hot on the tail of Alibaba's Taobao being accepted for payment in some hospitals in China, Tencent has addressed a major barrier to adoption by allowing patients to pay for hospital services in Guangdong with its WeChat system, and crucially, integrating with the government health insurance system which automatically picks up the eligible portion of the bill. [image: SCMP]

30-Sep-14 As more people gain access to connected devices, entrepreneurs and organisations across Southeast Asia see potential to speed improvements in healthcare with new web and mobile applications such as Ring.MD in Singapore, Dokita in Indonesia and mClinica in the Philippines. [image: Techonomy]