05-Jan-16 Indonesia's largest pharmaceutical company, Kalbe Farma, is constructing a biopharmacy raw material manufacturing plant in Cikarang, West Java, scheduled to commence operations in late 2017 or 2018. State-controlled company Kimia Farma also announced recently that it would start constructing a INR100 bn (USD7 mn) raw materials plant in the same location. [image: Kalbe Farma and Kimia Farma]

05-Jan-16 Brazilian physicians heavily rely on smartphone apps to communicate with their patients. 87% of physicians in Brazil use WhatsApp to talk to their patients, more than in Italy (62%) and the UK (2%). Usage of SMS and emails is rising among doctors and patients, and cellphones have become the primary means of contact (84%). [image: caribbeanmedstudent]

05-Jan-16 Infographic: UK hospitals currently have limited presence in China, while there is rising demand for quality medical services from Chinese patients. The UK is considered a cost-effective destination and the NHS is always a selling point in China. The number of Chinese patients going abroad for treatment reached 40 mn in 2012.

05-Jan-16 Singapore embarks on the Smart Nation initiative, big data can help beef up the response to any disease outbreak. It is critical to maintain timely data on diagnoses, and symptoms reported by patients. The biggest benefit may come in searching out the unknown unknowns. Here, big data could be coupled with “smart software”, using machine learning to help guide astute human observers. [image: Today]

05-Jan-16 Thailand has seen more than 2 mn foreign patients at 37 hospitals since 2012, compared with Singapore's 850,000. Bangkok Hospital Group, Thailand's largest private hospital operator, has a target of 50 hospitals, up from the existing 42. Bumrungrad International, is moving into Myanmar, and Samitivej Hospital Group plans to expand throughout ASEAN and into Japan and the Middle East. [image: Dr Prem Global Healthcare]