27-Nov-14 A new OECD report says despite a 10% improvement in life expectancy over the past 20 years, most Asia-Pacific countries still need to step up efforts to give people access to affordable, quality healthcare. Too many people, especially women, cannot get the treatment they need due to high costs, difficulties in getting permission to see a doctor, or a lack of providers in rural areas. [image: OECD]

12-Nov-14 Alibaba has realised its ambition of expanding into the health sector with the launch of Alibaba Health Information Technology, in Oct-14. The newly formed unit was previously Citic 21CN, a company acquired by Alibaba earlier this year. Its drug coding system is seen as the most important asset for Alibaba. [image: Want China Times]

10-Nov-14 At a recent Bio Taiwan Commission meeting, it was announced that the government plans to cultivate at least two flagship medical equipment firms on the island. Each company is hoped to generate revenues over USD330 million. The government also wants to shape Taiwan into a clinical trial hub for Asia. [image: CENS]

03-Nov-14 A research team from the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) has succeeded in developing a surgical robot for extremely sensitive areas like the human brain and spinal cord, which is impossible to access with existing surgical robots. [image: Business Korea]

17-Oct-14 Over the past five years the Chinese government invested USD371 billion on healthcare incentives, but while these measures are important and necessary, they have not yet been sufficient to address all the key issues. One such issue is guiding patient flows to avoid overloading big hospitals. [image: frog healthcare group / design mind]