North Asia

North Asia is comprised of China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. 

With the exception of Hong Kong, the region’s healthcare systems are funded by the government and subsidised universally for their citizens offering coverage (to a varying extent) for in-patient service and ambulatory services. In China, coverage remains limited with high out-of-pocket expenses. Regional healthcare systems do not have a formal referral mechanism in place, which means patients have complete freedom to choose which healthcare providers to consult. Japan, South Korea and Taiwan all demonstrate a mix (more toward dominantly private) of ownership of medical institutions, in particular for Japan and South Korea where more than 80% of hospital beds are in the private sector.

Language, culture and level of economic development differ significantly between countries with only some similarities between Taiwan and South Korea in terms of healthcare structure. Relevance of proxy markets therefore depends on the research objectives and therapy area.

Our emerging markets team has conducted over 400 projects in the North Asia markets, with our Asia headquarters located in Singapore, and can support your market research needs.