01-Mar-17 Japan's national health insurance logged a deficit of JPY284 bn yen (USD2.5 bn) in 2015 as an injection of public funds failed to compensate for rising costs stemming from an aging subscriber pool and pricey new treatments. The main culprit was a rise in benefit payments, which grew 2.1%. High-priced hepatitis C drugs Sovaldi and Harvoni also played a role. [image: Nikkei Asian Reveiw]

23-Feb-17 Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng wants to make Penang into a medical city with excellent hospitals, highly trained doctors and affordable care. The government seeks to bring in foreign and local investment to enhance healthcare facilities. Lim explains: "medical tourism is booming in Malaysia... Investment is important to reinforce Malaysia’s position as the number one medical tourism destination." [image: Investvine]

28-Feb-17 Medical delivery startups in India including BookMEDS, Pluss, CareOnGo, 1mg, MeraMedicare, and Dawailelo are have been delivering medicines via online platforms for years, but are looking at other services to help their subscribers keep track of their health and connect with medical professionals digitally. [image: sheeler / 123RF]

02-Mar-17 China’s Hony Capital backed Hospital Corporation of China has launched a Hong Kong IPO to raise as much as HKD500 mn (USD64 mn). HCC plans to consolidate its medical resources in the region and establish medical service centers. HCC owns two hospitals, Yangsi Hospital and Fuhua Hospital, located in Shanghai. [image: Hospital Corporation of China]

28-Feb-17 Less than 30 percent of patients suffering from end-stage kidney disease receive dialysis in India, where almost 200,000 new patients need dialysis every year. Efforts to provide affordable dialysis to those with end-stage kidney disease should be done in conjunction with more cost-effective efforts to prevent its development and reducing its progression using proven methodologies. [image: Business Standard]