Healthcare costs in the region are forecasted to spike in the coming years, according to research carried out by Solidiance, an Asia-focused corporate strategy consulting firm. Titled “The US$320 billion healthcare challenge in ASEAN”, the study focuses on the healthcare economy of six major Southeast Asian countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and The Philippines – dubbed the ASEAN 6.

Southeast Asians are becoming more aware of the need to address their health issues properly, but the underdeveloped state of Southeast Asia’s healthcare infrastructure, as well as resource shortages, still make these needs difficult to address effectively. In many cases, the cost of building new infrastructure to serve these needs is simply too much for national governments to bear all at once.

Malnutrition is a global plague. However, it is a more acute problem specifically in the Asian region.

Health and medical tourism is becoming more prominent and is seen as a growing trend worldwide, according to Global Wellness Institute, a non-profit organisation for the wellness industry.

This year, the healthcare industry in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to grow at 11.1%, according to a report by Frost & Sullivan which makes it one of the fastest growing regions for healthcare in the world. On average, the global healthcare economy has an annual growth rate of 4.8%, the report added.This progressive growth is powered by a larger adoption of technology, innovative healthcare access programmes and delivery of care in and out of the hospital.

The Philippines said Thursday that some of the 14 children who died after receiving a controversial vaccine showed signs of "severe dengue", as investigators probe the drug whose use was suspended due to health concerns.More than 830,000 Filipino schoolchildren were injected with Sanofi's Dengvaxia vaccine last year in the world's first public dengue immunisation programme.But the country stopped the sale and distribution of Dengvaxia last month after Sanofi warned the vac

Singapore is embracing technology and focusing more on personal health, as an expected doubling of seniors over the next two decades forces the nation to confront politically sensitive decisions on financing and immigration.While Singapore’s aging population is something to celebrate in reflecting longevity, it’s also forcing the city state to become more nimble in how it approaches the challenges, Chee Hong Tat, senior minister of state for health and communications and information, said in

French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi on Monday urged the Philippines to lift the suspension of its anti-dengue vaccine, insisting it was safe, but the government accused the firm of "dishonesty".Sales of Dengvaxia and a landmark public immunisation programme using the vaccine were suspended by the Philippines this month after Sanofi warned it could lead to "severe" symptoms for people who had not previously been infected with dengue.But the company's regional head said

The Philippines has suspended the sale and distribution of Sanofi's dengue vaccine, authorities said Tuesday, after the French pharmaceutical giant last week warned it could worsen symptoms for people who had not previously been infected.Regulators on Friday froze the country's world first public immunisation programme that has seen more than 733,000 schoolchildren receive the Dengvaxia vaccine.Authorities have now ordered a blanket suspension for private use as well."Whether (

After years and years of decline, scarlet fever, the disease that once struck fear into the hearts of parents is once again hitting United Kingdom and some parts in Asia and in Southeast Asia, specifically Vietnam.Scarlet fever, a common cause of childhood death in the 1800s and early 1900s, has seen an upsurge in England since 2011, scientists said last Tuesday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, a leading medical journal.Identifying the cause for the increased cases was "a public health