Health authorities worry that travel and food preparations for the Lunar New Year will cause cases of H7N9 to grow

In October, organizations around the world will be promoting breast cancer education and awareness.

The Chief Executive of the China Spinal Cord Injury Network (CSCIN), Dr Wise Young, has announced that stem-cell therapy trials have shown very significant results in helping immobile patients to become mobile again.  Following the second round of tests that use stem cells to regrow nerve fibres, the CSCIN has applied for regulatory approval in China for a third and final phase, which…

The Hong Kong government has recently suffered an angry reaction from the insurance industry in response to its proposed standardised medical insurance plan. Insurers argue that the government has backed down, in this new move, from regulating the costs of private hospitals. Under the new Health Protection…

The most recent reports from China confirm that over 60 people have been diagnosed with bird flu, and 13 have died. So far, there are no cases of the disease being passed from one human to another - all of those people infected contracted the disease directly…

Insurer Aetna International is changing its strategic insurance partner in Hong Kong. As of the 24th January 2013, all underwriting will be provided by Starr International Insurance (Asia) Ltd as opposed to their prior partner GAN Assurances IARD. Changing underwriting providers is rarely seen as a positive thing, as it hints at disputes amongst…

ACE Limited, the Swiss insurer operating in over 50 countries, has successfully completed the acquisition of all shares in both New York Life's Hong Kong and South Korean wholly-owned life insurance subsidiaries for a combined US$425 million in cash. The purchase agreement between the two conglomerates…

American International Group Inc. (AIG) has recently been given approval to list its Asian life insurance unit, American International Assurance Group Ltd. (AIA), on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, as per initial plans announced earlier this year by mid-July 2010. Additionally, AIG has released the estimated annual operating profit of AIA, which should reach at least US$2 billion (EUR 1.5 billion) by the end of the fiscal year ending 30 November 2010.

The much-anticipated public consultation on "Healthcare Finance Reform" to be launched on the second half of this year is starting to generate attention towards some of the main issues to be addressed, among which is the possibility of the Hong Kong Government implementing a company to provide medical insurance for cases where private insurers may not be able to provide a "reasonable cover" to policyholders.

Amidst the global debate on healthcare reform, Hong Kong has waded into the fray with a proposed "voluntary medical insurance" scheme aimed at alleviating the massive financial burdens faced by the city's public healthcare network. The issue was first raised in late 2008, following in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis, and has now reached the penultimate stage of industry level discussion before…