Digital Health Transformations in Asia-Pacific: Expectations for 2025
Digitalization of Health Systems
The past year saw varying levels of digital transformations across health systems in Asia-Pacific. It has become increasingly clear that digitalization, from nationwide networks down to individual hospitals, has become the norm in a post-pandemic world. AI and virtual care models have continued to gain popularity in healthcare, driven by their clear support for improving clinician productivity and patient outcomes.
Predictions for 2025
To better understand how digital health transformations will proceed in the new year, Healthcare IT News sought predictions from healthcare providers and technology vendors in APAC for health IT in 2025.
Thailand
- Dr. Tawan Chitchulanon, Chief Medical Officer, PRINCIPAL Healthcare Company, Thailand
- "Following the global trend and support by the Thai Government, the trend of using AI in healthcare, telemedicine, and digital personal data will increase in Thailand. To have continuity of care with higher speed and less error, personal data will be more connected and transferred among hospitals, patients, third-party payers, and more. Meanwhile, government hospitals in Thailand have started installing telemedicine kiosks to provide more healthcare coverage. The Principal Healthcare Group has developed a HIS that can be connected to most AI software, for example, we are considering using AI to support physicians in ophthalmology, such as the prediction of retinal diseases, as well as neurology and radiology."
Australia
- Janine Cox, Operations Director – Health System Integration and Innovation, Northern Queensland Primary Health Network (NQPHN)
- "We are hoping to see an improvement in the utilisation of video telehealth within residential aged care homes. We now have 39 Visionflex carts on the ground across our region with USB devices to support more effective virtual care options. We are also seeing more general practices using the Incare shared health record and care planning tool that connects patients and their care team, as well as GoShare technology for digital literacy, patient literacy, and enrolment into continuous quality improvement initiatives. Higher utilisation of our Primary Sense tool is expected to be used for patient medication alerts, patients at risk of hospitalisation, and those with missing care interventions, for example, where immunisations are due or for healthcare reviews."
- Dr. Katharine See, Chief Health Outcomes Officer and Director of Respiratory Medicine, Northern Health
- "In 2025, the adoption of AI in healthcare will continue to grow, enabling personalized treatments by analyzing large amounts of patient data, including genomic information, to develop tailored care plans. Initially focused on automation and process improvements, these tools will enhance treatment efficacy and patient outcomes while reducing clinician workload. The long-term vision is to integrate decision support AI, empowering clinicians with actionable insights to deliver precision medicine at scale."
Singapore
- Ling Su Yuen, Chief Architect, Synapxe
- "AI and large language models (LLM) have dominated the tech innovation conversation, particularly in healthcare, and they will remain big trends for 2025. However, I’m particularly excited about the untapped potential of the Internet of Things (IoT) in reshaping healthcare. Certainly, IoT has been around for some time, but it is an evolving field, and its potential in healthcare is vast in areas like real-time monitoring, asset tracking, and supply chain optimization. Healthcare uses medical devices extensively; these need to be tracked and managed effectively. Imagine the life-saving potential of the integration of healthcare systems with predictive analytics to enhance pandemic preparedness by tracking early indicators across medical facilities, logistics networks, and community health activity."
India
- Rustom Lawyer, Augnito
- "I think some of the new trends to expect would be: voice-based and ambient AI: Beyond conventional speech recognition, ambient AI technologies will emerge to document clinical encounters automatically. Clinicians can focus on the patient while the AI captures and organizes data in the background – minimizing administrative burdens and errors. Insurance-funded models and integrated platforms: As India shifts from out-of-pocket spending toward a more insurance-funded model (supported by a proposed increase in healthcare budget allocation from 1% to 2.5% of GDP by 2025), digital platforms will begin the process of unifying medical records, insurance claims, and reimbursements in a seamless ecosystem. Personalized, preventive care: AI and advanced analytics will power highly targeted interventions – ranging from proactive screenings for early disease detection to personalized treatment plans based on a patient’s genomic and clinical data. Collaborative AI ecosystems: We will see more public-private partnerships (e.g., government initiatives combined with startup innovation). In India, the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission represents how collaborative efforts can drive standards for AI research and validation, fueling healthcare efficiencies and innovations at scale."
Conclusion
The future of digital health transformations in Asia-Pacific is likely to be shaped by the continued adoption of AI, virtual care models, and IoT. As the region continues to navigate the complexities of healthcare, it is essential to prioritize the effective integration of technology and data to improve patient outcomes and reduce administrative burdens.
FAQs
Q: What are the key trends to expect in digital health in 2025?
A: AI and virtual care models will continue to gain traction, with a focus on personalized treatments, predictive analytics, and real-time monitoring.
Q: How will the adoption of AI in healthcare evolve in 2025?
A: AI will become more widespread, enabling personalized treatments, improving treatment efficacy, and reducing clinician workload.
Q: What role will the Internet of Things (IoT) play in healthcare in 2025?
A: IoT will continue to evolve, with a focus on real-time monitoring, asset tracking, and supply chain optimization.
Q: How will the shift to insurance-funded healthcare in India impact the digital health landscape?
A: The shift will drive the development of digital platforms that unify medical records, insurance claims, and reimbursements, enabling more efficient and effective healthcare delivery.
