Latest news with #LabourandWelfare
RTHK
a day ago
- Health
- RTHK
Professionals get guide on reporting child abuse
Professionals get guide on reporting child abuse Chris Sun says the guide can help professionals report child abuse cases to meet their legal obligations. Photo: RTHK The government on Thursday launched a guide on mandatory reporting of child abuse suspicions, to help professionals to identify and report cases. The Mandatory Report of Child Abuse Ordinance, which will take effect on January 20, requires 25 categories of professionals, including doctors, social workers and teachers, to report suspected serious maltreatment cases. Speaking to the media after a launch ceremony, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun said the guide aims to help professionals report child abuse cases by providing them with practical guidelines so they can properly discharge their legal obligations. 'Apart from the usual practice of publishing guidelines covering all the requirements and setting out all the scenarios, this time round we have also decided to create an electronic version,' Sun said. Professionals, he added, "could click into the website by answering a series of questions, and then they will lead to a conclusion under the system, telling them whether or not the case in point is one that he or she has to report under the law, or one that's not required under the law to be reported'. The guide provides decision trees, supplementary analytical frameworks and sample case scenarios for various circumstances such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse and neglect. The professionals will have to make an assessment by answering a number of questions such as whether the child has visible injuries or shows signs of non-visible injuries and whether the injuries are caused by accident or suspicious. The professionals can also find out from the guide how to make a report and what information needs to be provided. Sun said training would be provided to professionals in medical, education and social welfare sectors during the next half year.
Japan Today
2 days ago
- Business
- Japan Today
7 job interview red flags in Japan (and what to ask instead)
By Rachel Crane You've finally landed a job offer in Japan after weeks (or months) of searching. The interview went well, the contract is ready, but something feels off. Maybe it's the way the recruiter dodged a question, or the vague wording in the offer. Whatever it is, a red flag is waving. What are important job interview red flags in Japan? Did you just land a job with a black company? Understanding Japanese workplace culture is crucial, but it's rarely spelled out. Many expectations — like staying late, following rigid hierarchies or interpreting indirect feedback — go unspoken until you're already on the job. These unwritten rules can lead to stress, burnout and serious dissatisfaction. The good news? Many warning signs show up early — if you know what to ask and how to spot them. Here's how to recognize red flags before you sign. If you're looking for a job, check out the opportunities on GaijinPot Jobs. 1. Vague or Dodgy Answers About Work Hours 2. High Turnover or Constant Hiring 3. All Management, No Mentorship 4. No Work-Life Balance Policy 5. Poor or No Communication from the Team 6. Overly Fancy Office vs. Underpaid Staff 7. Overemphasis on 'We're Like a Family' Research the Company Reputation Online 1. Vague or Dodgy Answers About Work Hours 'We don't track hours — we track passion.' One of the most infamous aspects of Japanese work culture is the amount of overtime. While the Japanese government has tightened laws around how much overtime companies are allowed to demand, statistics show that the average worker in Japan still puts in 24.3 hours of overtime per month (2022, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). Under-reporting means the actual number is likely even higher. At the extreme end, karoshi (death from overwork) is also a sad reality for some. Japan's 2019 Work Style Reform Law (働き方改革法案, Hatarakikata Kaikaku Hoan) also set legal limits on overtime, capping it at 45 hours per month (with stricter penalties for violations). The system grants at least 10 days of paid leave annually to employees who have been continuously employed for six months and have attended at least 80% of working days during that period. Employers are also required to ensure that at least five days of paid leave are taken per year. If your recruiter can't clearly state the hours of overtime you'll be expected to work, they may not be following the rules. What To Ask During The Interview Ask: 'What's the average overtime here?' Red flag response: 'We work until the job is done,' or 'It depends on the season.' Japanese term to listen for:* **Sabisu zangyo* (サービス残業), unpaid overtime 2. High Turnover or Constant Hiring 'He wasn't a team player.' If a company is constantly advertising jobs online, it could be a sign of high employee turnover. Take a look at job boards like GaijinPot Jobs and keep an eye on how often the company is posting ads. While some companies will advertise regularly when expanding their workforce, others are simply struggling to hold onto staff. Make sure to ask in your interview how long most employees choose to stay, and pay attention to whether they're able to give a clear answer. What To Ask During The Interview Ask: 'How long do team members usually stay?' Red flag response: 'It varies from person to person.' Tip: Use review sites like OpenWork (formerly Vorkers) or Glassdoor Japan for clues about employee satisfaction and management style. 3. All Management, No Mentorship Japanese work culture can prioritise following the leader over developing leadership skills. Promotions are often handed out based on age and length of tenure, not merit, and those below are expected to follow instructions without questioning authority. However, reputable companies understand the value of nurturing talent. Use your interview to find out if the company has staff development programs in place, and what kind of skills you'll have the opportunity to learn should you accept the job. What To Ask During The Interview Ask: 'Does the company have any onboarding or training programs?' Red flag response: 'We expect you to figure things out.' 4. No Work-Life Balance Policy One of the most infamous aspects of Japanese work culture is the amount of overtime. While the Japanese government has tightened laws around how much overtime companies are allowed to demand, statistics show that the average worker in Japan still puts in 24.3 hours of overtime per month (2022, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). Under-reporting means the actual number is likely even higher. At the extreme end, karoshi (death from overwork) is also a sad reality for some. Click here to read more. External Link © GaijinPot
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
HIMSS25 APAC Highlights Surge in Population Health Tech Adoption Across Asia-Pacific, Recognizes Regional Leaders in Digital Health Innovation
Asia-Pacific to Drive One-Third of Global PHM Market Growth, Projecting $89.3B by 2030 Amid Aging Demographics and Chronic Disease Challenges, Black Book Research KUALA LUMPUR, MY / / July 16, 2025 / As HIMSS25 APAC convenes healthcare leaders, innovators, and policymakers in Kuala Lumpur this week, a major spotlight is cast on the dramatic rise of Population Health Management (PHM) adoption across the Asia-Pacific region. According to the newly released Q3 2025 Black Book of Global Healthcare IT, Asia-Pacific is projected to account for 33% of global PHM market growth, reaching an estimated USD 90 billion by 2031. This growth is being driven by a convergence of strategic public health investments, demographic pressure from rapidly aging populations, rising chronic disease burdens, and aggressive digital health policies in countries such as Australia, China, Japan, India, and South Korea. These developments are fueling demand for PHM software, analytics, and care coordination tools that enable smarter, more equitable healthcare delivery. The 540-page Black Book report underscores how Asia-Pacific nations are embracing PHM technologies to modernize fragmented systems, prioritize preventive care, and advance health equity across urban and rural populations. HIMSS25 APAC celebrates this transformation by recognizing the region's top-rated PHM vendors named through surveys of healthcare professionals worldwide across 110 countries for their leadership in accelerating digital health progress. PHM Innovation Driving National Digital Health Strategies Across the Asia-Pacific region, national health systems are undergoing a structural shift toward data-driven, interoperable ecosystems, with Population Health Management platforms emerging as core enablers of healthcare modernization. Governments are embedding PHM strategies into national digital health roadmaps to manage epidemiological transitions, optimize longitudinal care, and mitigate systemic inefficiencies through predictive analytics and real-time data integration. Japan is deploying scalable PHM frameworks to support its super-aged society as 36.2% of its population will be over 65 by 2030. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) is accelerating investments in integrated care networks, leveraging AI-assisted telehealth systems and health information exchange (HIE) platforms to enable proactive chronic disease surveillance, care coordination, and eldercare continuity across prefectures. South Korea is integrating population health analytics into its National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) and national precision medicine roadmap. Government-led initiatives like the "Data Dam" project are fueling cross-sector PHM innovation, with over 45 million citizens' clinical and claims data being securely harnessed for AI-driven risk stratification, early intervention modeling, and population-level disease forecasting. China, under the Healthy China 2030 framework, has made PHM a strategic priority. With over 260 million citizens living with chronic illnesses, China has invested in more than 1,800 "smart hospital" pilots across provinces. These facilities incorporate real-time PHM dashboards, regional health data lakes, and cloud-based chronic disease registries, supporting large-scale risk analytics and personalized preventive care strategies. India is rapidly scaling its digital public infrastructure (DPI) through the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), targeting over 1.4 billion citizens. With World Bank and Asian Development Bank support exceeding $1.3B, India is integrating PHM tools into its national health stack, linking EHRs, citizen health IDs, and national analytics grids to drive population-wide surveillance, immunization tracking, and digital therapeutics in remote and underserved geographies. Australia continues to lead in rural and remote care innovation, supported by the National Digital Health Strategy and the My Health Record expansion. Through advanced telehealth integration, real-time care planning platforms, and federated PHM solutions, Australia is enhancing access for its 7 million rural residents. The Australian Digital Health Agency has reported a 52% increase in digitally coordinated chronic care encounters since 2022, largely attributed to targeted PHM deployments. Top-Ranked Population Health Vendors in Asia-Pacific: Performance Deep Dive Dedalus Markets: Australia, JapanDedalus is recognized for its advanced care coordination frameworks and analytics engines that align with national health strategies. In Australia, Dedalus powers PHM modules integrated into state-wide digital health programs, such as the Single Digital Patient Record initiative. In Japan, Dedalus supports regional health information exchange (HIE) networks, enabling seamless clinical data aggregation and longitudinal care tracking in compliance with the Japanese Medical Information System Development Center (MEDIS-DC) standards. Users report high marks for multi-lingual UI adaptability, interoperability with national eHealth records, and care pathway analytics, especially in managing cardiovascular and diabetic populations. __________ GuidelineX Markets: Australia, New Zealand, Southeast AsiaGuidelineX's AI-driven clinical decision support tools are especially lauded by public and private health systems implementing predictive care models. Southeast Asia deployments, including in Singapore and Thailand, showcase GuidelineX's natural language processing (NLP)-driven population stratification tools that integrate with low-resource environments and diverse clinical vocabularies. Black Book respondents highlight its real-time predictive insights and clinician workflow integration as key differentiators. __________ iMedway Markets: China, ASEAN (Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia)iMedway's strength lies in scalable, federated data platforms tailored to diverse public health ecosystems. In China, iMedway's PHM modules are embedded in 20+ provincial health bureaus' disease management registries, supporting over 90 million patient records and real-time epidemiological analytics under the National Health Commission framework. In ASEAN, iMedway is being adopted in urban/rural public-private integration pilots. In Malaysia, for example, the firm supports the MyHealth Analytics Hub, noted for automated patient segmentation and decentralized data access. Users praise iMedway for low-latency data warehousing and FHIR-native APIs, enabling plug-and-play with existing EMRs and national HIS networks. __________ InterSystems Markets: Australia, Japan, Greater APACInterSystems is a top performer for its unified health information platforms with embedded PHM tools and semantic interoperability. Its HealthShare solution underpins regional eHealth infrastructures, such as South Australia's statewide care coordination platform, which integrates data from over 120 hospitals and GP practices. In Japan, InterSystems supports PHM analytics aligned with national long-term care and chronic disease models, with high performance scores in data harmonization and HL7/FHIR conformance. Clients across APAC report InterSystems leads in real-time population dashboards, integrated care record access, and clinical outcomes tracking. __________ IQVIA Markets: China, Japan, South Korea, AustraliaKnown globally for real-world data and advanced analytics, IQVIA's Asia-Pacific PHM tools are used extensively in value-based care pilots and life sciences partnerships. In South Korea, IQVIA partners with the NHIS on nationwide population analytics, using de-identified claims and genomics data to guide cancer and rare disease programs. In Australia and Japan, IQVIA supports payer-provider collaborations focused on risk-adjusted benchmarking and clinical pathway optimization, with users citing high confidence in its data quality, multi-source integration, and AI model transparency. __________ Milliman Markets: Japan, India, China, South KoreaMilliman's actuarial-driven PHM analytics tools are highly regarded in markets prioritizing cost containment and risk pool optimization. In India, Milliman supports state-based insurance schemes under Ayushman Bharat by enabling prospective cost modeling and hospital utilization pattern analytics. In China and Japan, Milliman's tools are used to simulate public health scenarios and resource allocation, especially in population risk pooling and bundled payment planning. __________ Oracle Health Markets: Australia and broader APACOracle Health (formerly Cerner) remains a top-tier PHM platform provider across large health systems and government programs. In Australia, Oracle Health powers major PHM deployments in the public hospital system, particularly in Victoria and Queensland, where its solutions support integrated chronic disease pathways, social determinants of health (SDoH) risk indexing, and automated alerts for at-risk populations. The platform is praised for scalability, robust data governance tools, and strong integration with AI-powered clinical decision tools post-Oracle acquisition. __________ Orion Health Markets: Australia, New Zealand, Asia-PacificOrion Health continues to lead in interoperability-centric PHM deployments across Oceania. Its Amadeus platform is widely adopted in New Zealand's national electronic health record system and by Local Health Networks in Australia, offering cross-provider care plans, real-time patient summaries, and predictive analytics. Clients rate Orion highly for FHIR-native architecture, intuitive clinician dashboards, and strong patient engagement modules in community care environments. __________ Telstra Health Markets: AustraliaTelstra Health remains a domestic leader in PHM for chronic disease management and virtual care enablement. Through partnerships with state and territory governments, Telstra Health supports remote patient monitoring, telehealth-based care plans, and analytics for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations, contributing to improved access and outcome tracking in remote communities. Its tools are noted for interoperability with national repositories (e.g., My Health Record) and alignment with national PHM metrics. "The Asia-Pacific region is rapidly becoming a global benchmark for population health innovation," said Doug Brown, Founder of Black Book Research. "Strategic investments and coordinated national policies are accelerating digital transformation and enabling scalable care improvements. Governments, regional health systems, and private networks are aligning on shared PHM goals." For instance, China's Healthy China 2030 initiative aims to connect more than 75% of hospitals to PHM-capable infrastructure within five years. South Korea's government-backed health data integration programs are empowering precision public health. Meanwhile, India's digital health roadmap is targeting rural and underserved populations with scalable, cloud-enabled PHM tools. About Black Book Research:Black Book Research is the healthcare industry's leading independent research firm, known for amplifying the voices of frontline users, clinicians, and technology stakeholders across 110 countries. Its annual Population Health Yearbook and Global HIT Insights reports provide decision-makers with unbiased intelligence on digital health transformations, platform performance, and real-world adoption. The Q3 updated Black Book study gathered perspectives from 151 senior officials and executives across APAC, highlighting not just adoption momentum, but measurable impacts on care outcomes, resource planning, and health equity. Media Contact: research@ Download the report at no charge to industry stakeholders globally at Contact Information Press Office research@ SOURCE: Black Book Research View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Malay Mail
16-07-2025
- Health
- Malay Mail
Japan throws out nearly RM7b in expired Covid-19 medicines after demand dries up
TOKYO, July 16 — The Japanese government discarded Covid-19 oral medicines believed to be worth around 240 billion yen (RM6.85 billion) in the fiscal year through March as they had passed their expiry dates, Kyodo News Agency reported, citing health ministry officials on Wednesday. While the exact purchase price remains unclear, the value was calculated in accordance with current prices. The amount is enough to treat some 2.5 million people. The government acquired the oral drugs at the height of the coronavirus pandemic and provided them free of charge to hospitals and clinics nationwide. But many of them were unused after Covid-19 was downgraded to the same category as seasonal influenza in May 2023, which required people to pay for Covid-19 treatment. Drugmakers had also started general distribution of Covid-19 medicine in Japan themselves. A Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare official said offering the drugs to other countries was considered but legally difficult. Among the two million doses of Pfizer Inc.'s nirmatrelvir and 1.6 million doses of Merck & Co.'s molnupiravir procured by the government, about 1.75 million doses of nirmatrelvir and some 780,000 doses of molnupiravir were disposed of, according to the ministry. The government also secured two million doses of Shionogi & Co.'s ensitrelvir but about 1.77 million of them are unused, the ministry said. They are expected to be discarded after they reach their expiration dates starting next fiscal year. — Bernama-Kyodo
RTHK
05-07-2025
- Business
- RTHK
No plans to halt labour import scheme, says Chis Sun
No plans to halt labour import scheme, says Chis Sun The Labour and Welfare secretary says the government has a rigorous vetting process for handling labour import applications. Photo: RTHK Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun on Saturday said that there are measures in place to protect local workers as he was questioned about a government scheme to import labour. Appearing on an RTHK radio programme, Sun was asked whether he would consider setting a threshold under the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme in sectors such as catering, which recently saw its jobless rate reach 5.7 percent. The recent closures of bakery chain Taipan and restaurant chain Super Star have also resulted in hundreds of workers being laid off. Speaking to reporters after the programme, Sun said the catering sector typically had high turnover rates. He also said the government has a rigorous vetting process when it comes to applications to import labour, saying employers have to recruit locally for four weeks. 'For every local worker going to an interview, even if he or she is not employed, we're going to call him up. So we'll give him a call from the Labour Department to make sure that he's not mistreated.' He also said there was a complaint system for local workers who feel they are being unfairly treated, as well as inspections to make sure employers meet a ratio requirement for full-time local employees to imported workers.
