18-Mar-16 Overcrowded public hospitals in Hong Kong have dropped the idea of asking nurses to prescribe medicine to stable patients due to the objection of medical staff. The overall occupancy of medical inpatient beds has dropped to 104% from a peak of 130% in some major hospitals, but some temporary beds are still required in wards or along corridors. [image: Sam Tsang / SCMP]

17-Mar-16 The Indian government has banned around 344 fixed dosed combination drugs, including Pfizer's cough syrup Corex, Procter & Gamble's Vicks Action 500 Extra and Crocin Cold and Flu, citing their potential risks. [image: Sajjad Hussain / AFP / Getty Images]

08-Mar-16 According to a circular issued by China's State Council, generic drugs already available on the market should be assessed on whether they are consistent with brand-name drugs, and if they could be used clinically. Crucially, generics that pass the assessment will be included under national insurance coverage. [image: People's Daily Online]

02-Mar-16 Public health facilities in Ho Chi Minh City will be under pressure to improve quality of services as they no longer receive city funds for most regular expenditures. On 1-Mar-16 fees rose by 30-50% nationwide at all public hospitals, as scheduled by the Ministry of Health. The city's hospitals will now have to rely mostly on revenue from patients. [image: Duong Ngoc]

29-Feb-16 Malaysia's Ministry of Health is looking to extend the five year moratorium imposed by the government in 2011 on new medical programmes in the country. There were the 46,916 registered doctors in 2014, with a doctor to population ratio of 1:633, which the government plans to bring down to 1:400 by 2020. [image: Edubeanz]