15-Jul-15 China now has 16 public hospitals with more than 3,000 beds and this has policymakers worried. Hospital building reflects a lack of public confidence in rural healthcare, and may not lead to cost-effective care. As China reduces the drug mark-ups hospitals have relied on for years, many see expansion as a way to raise revenues. [image: The Straits Times]

02-Jul-15 An online service for issuing medical equipment import licences has been launched by Vietnam's Health Ministry. It aims to simplify admin procedures for medical equipment importers. Importers can now submit documents, pay fees, check the progress of applications online. The ministry receives registration applications from about 700 importers every month. [image: Vietnam News / Duong Ngoc]

28-Jun-15 As part of the Make in India strategy, India's government plans to set up a INR5 bn (USD79 mn) fund to boost the domestic pharma industry and provide cheaper loans for manufacturing. It is also considering single window clearance for drug approvals, to help rejuvenate the local pharma sector and make medicines more affordable. [image: ET Healthworld]

22-Jun-15 The spread of MERS in Korea is arousing controversy over telemedicine. Medical exams and prescriptions by phone are currently illegal, and some healthcare organizations are claiming that the government illegally allowed the temporarily closed Samsung Medical Center to prescribe via telemedicine, despite the lack of proof of safety and effectiveness. [image: Business Korea]

18-Jun-15 The China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) was officially signed on 17-Jun-15. ChAFTA increases Australian investors’ ability to own medical facilities either wholly or by majority JV, enables some Australian physicians to offer services in China, permits wholly Australian-owned aged care institutions, and promotes cooperation in the field of Traditional Chinese Medicine. [image: The Conversation]