08-Nov-16 The cost of sequencing a human genome has plummeted over the past 15 years USD1,000. In Singapore, the Centre for Big Data and Integrative Genomics, part of government agency A*STAR, is supporting the Platinum Genome Project to construct reference genomes for the Chinese, Malay and Indian populations in the country. [image: Pixabay]

01-Nov-16 The Korean government has spearheaded telemedicine since 2014, an initiative that faced resistance from opposition parties and medical circles, who worry about a lack of effectiveness and safety, and patients potentially flocking to larger institutions, leading to the demise of smaller clinics. Only 150 of 680 eligible senior nursing facilities have applied for the pilot project. [image: KobizMedia / Korea Bizwire]

31-Oct-16 An ‘Electronic Meal Ordering System (EMOS)’, submitted by Farrer Park Hospital (FPH) in Singapore under the Innovations in Healthcare IT category at the 2016 Asian Hospital Management Awards was acknowledged for its improvement to overall quality, safety and efficiency for patient meal orders. FPH is the first hospital in Singapore to implement such a challenging integrated system. [image: APBN]

31-Oct-16 Quang Ninh Province in Vietnam is extending healthcare services to rural populations by providing telehealth across 24 hospitals and community healthcare centres. Quang Ninh is mountainous, and access to healthcare means long journeys to a central hospital or medical centre. The Polycom video technology allows consultations for patients hundreds of kilometres away, and improved training for doctors in rural areas. [image: Networks Asia]

20-Oct-16 Singapore's Health Ministry has launched a manpower plan to attract more Singaporeans to take up careers in the healthcare industry. The Ministry estimates that 30,000 more healthcare workers would be needed by 2020 to meet the demands of an ageing population. More doctors are also being trained, with a 30 percent increase in family medicine trainees expected by 2019. [image: Sherlyn Goh / Channel News Asia]