15-Sep-16 The Australian government has announced it will speed up the approval process for new medicines so that Australians can gain faster access to drugs. Currently, Australians are forced to wait up to two years longer than in other nations, but the new rules will allow drugs to be "fast-tracked" if approved by a regulator such as the USFDA. [image: News Corp Australia]

11-Sep-16 While demographers still assess the effects of the relaxation of the one-child policy, pregnant women and hospitals are feeling the squeeze. China forecasts that an extra 17 mn babies will be born within the next five years. In some of those years, there are expected to be more than 20 mn births. [image: South China Morning Post]

09-Sep-16  Korea has unveiled a comprehensive plan to boost its medical sector. The 5-year plan includes providing tax cuts for companies making investments in building R&D facilities and conducting clinical trials to test new drugs. It also expects to attract 750,000 more foreigners to the country for treatment. [image: Arirang]

05-Sep-16 The Shenzhen government started to encourage private healthcare investment three years ago. The city offers a reward of RMB20 mn (USD3.3 mn) to private investors who set up, or upgrade a medical facility to become, a top-level hospital. It also provides other financial support, including subsidies to hospitals for receiving patients, to encourage private investment. [image: Silk Gate]

05-Sep-16 The Philippines Department of Health Secretary Paulyn Rosell-Ubial has said it is focused on fast-tracking the development of health infrastructure. Ubial said the government envisioned one doctor per five barangays (districts) and one health station per barangay within the six-year term of President Duterte in line with the government’s pronouncement of implementing a human approach in improving the people’s welfare. [image: Alamy]