04-Apr-16 The Philippines has launched the world's first public immunization program for dengue fever, seeking to administer to a million schoolchildren a vaccine against a mosquito-borne disease estimated to infect 390 mn people a year globally. The Philippines has the highest dengue incidence in the Western Pacific, recording 200,415 cases in 2015. [image: South China Morning Post]

04-Apr-16 The health sector of HCMC will carry out 89 projects worth VND21.6 tn (USD969 mn) between 2016 and 2020 to improve healthcare services. Projects planned include developing human resources, building hospitals at the city’s gateways and local clinics, and upgrading major hospitals into high-tech facilities. [image: Vietnam Breaking News]

01-Apr-16 Big budget increases have been made in China for healthcare and family planning, which will get a 47% boost to RMB12.43 bn (USD1.9 bn). Spending on rural health centers will double in 2016, and the budget for government medical insurance will increase nearly five-fold. [image: The Telegraph / Getty]

30-Mar-16 Hundreds of Australians implanted with a defective hip device will be eligible for a share of AUD250 mn in compensation following the conditional settlement of a long-running class action. It is estimated 1,700 Australians will be eligible to share in the settlement. The action was started in 2010 after a worldwide recall of the DePuy device. [image: DePuy]

31-Mar-16 The WHO has urged the Southeast Asian nations to intensify efforts to make the Universal Health Coverage a reality. According to WHO, an estimated 130 million people in WHO Southeast Asia region lack access to essential health services and over 50 million people are pushed into poverty every year because of healthcare costs. [image: World Health Organization]