High-Quality Care at Competitive Prices | Chinese Hospitals Are Winning Over Foreign Patients
There was a time when some Chinese patients traveled overseas in search of better medical care. Today, patients from around the world are beginning to turn to Chinese hospitals for treatment.
According to statistics, the number of international patient visits to China’s major hospitals serving foreign patients has increased by 73.6% over the past three years, reflecting the growing appeal of China’s healthcare services to international patients.
China’s Healthcare Is Attracting International Patients
According to the 2025 Annual Report on Foreign-Related Medical Services released by China’s National Health Commission, major hospitals providing foreign-related medical services across China received 1.28 million international patient visits over the year. More than 150,000 patients from Southeast Asia traveled to China for medical treatment during the year, while the number of patients from Europe and the United States doubled year on year.
Taking Shanghai, one of China’s most internationally active cities, as an example, data from the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission show that public hospitals in Shanghai provided 73,200 patient visits to foreign nationals in 2025, an increase of 8% year on year.
In Yiwu, Zhejiang, known as the “world’s capital of small commodities,” the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine (Yiwu Campus) provided medical services to more than 26,500 foreign patient visits in 2025. The number of foreign patient visits has maintained rapid growth for three consecutive years—rising 33% in 2025, 32% in 2024, and 45% in 2023.
Zhang Chunyan, executive director of Yunnan Minton Hospital Management Co., Ltd., said that foreign patients coming to China for medical treatment can generally be divided into several categories.
The first group consists of foreign nationals residing in China. As China’s visa-free policies continue to take effect, more foreign nationals are spending longer periods living in China, resulting in a significant increase in their healthcare needs. This group currently represents one of the main sources of growth in foreign patients seeking medical care in China.
The second group consists of patients seeking cost-effective healthcare, primarily from Europe and the United States. Healthcare costs in their home countries can be high, while waiting times are often lengthy. Influenced by media coverage and word of mouth, some patients are choosing to explore China as an alternative for more affordable medical care.
The third group consists of patients attracted by China’s advanced medical capabilities. These patients mainly come from Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and other regions. China has made rapid advances in cutting-edge fields such as CAR-T therapy, gene editing, and brain-computer interfaces, while Chinese physicians have accumulated extensive clinical experience and developed strong diagnostic and treatment capabilities in areas including rare diseases and complex surgery.
The fourth group consists of enthusiasts of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). A representative of Yiling Pharmaceutical told reporters that the company’s collateral disease theory has attracted considerable international attention, with many overseas patients showing interest in exploring traditional Chinese medicine and related treatment approaches.
The Cross-Border Healthcare Market Has Enormous Potential
Last year, a patient from Myanmar with a thyroid tumor was treated at Zhongshan Hospital in Yuxi, Yunnan Province. The entire treatment process was remarkably fast. Before the patient arrived, the hospital had already completed a remote consultation to review the medical history, assess the condition, develop a surgical plan, and provide a cost estimate. As the patient traveled from home to Chengjiang, Yuxi, the surgical team responsible for the procedure was also traveling from the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou. Within 24 hours of both parties’ arrival, the patient completed preoperative examinations, a multidisciplinary consultation, an in-person consultation, and consent procedures. The surgery was completed within 48 hours, and the patient was discharged 19 days later.
Bangladeshi patient Saleh, who suffered an arterial embolism caused by a rare detached blood clot, traveled to several countries before receiving treatment at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, where he underwent the process of “outpatient consultation on Day 1, hospital admission on Day 3, and surgery on Day 4.”
A healthcare institution executive revealed that the organization has indeed treated a large number of international patients over the past two years. These patients have expressed strong recognition of China’s medical capabilities. “When we participate in academic exchanges overseas, we often encounter patients who have come specifically because of China’s reputation. They ask us whether China offers safer or more advanced treatment options.”
Chinese medical institutions have also responded positively to this trend.
According to incomplete statistics from the China International Medical Services Industry Development Report released by the International Medical Services Committee of the Chinese Hospital Association, more than 850 medical institutions in at least 57 cities across China provide international medical services.
Yunnan Minton Hospital Management Co., Ltd. has undertaken international patient referral services for a number of hospitals. Zhang Chunyan said that international medical services can generate considerable revenue, allowing public hospitals to increase their income and alleviate financial pressures.
A healthcare industry executive told reporters that large numbers of people around the world travel across borders every year to seek medical treatment, making this a market with enormous potential.
Many local governments are also promoting the development of international healthcare services. Beijing, for example, has proposed improving its international healthcare service system and expanding international cooperation in health and medical care. Chongqing has called for the active development of internationalized and specialized medical services. Hainan has proposed promoting the concept of “global healthcare access” and developing the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone into a world-class destination for international medical tourism and a platform for medical technology innovation. Guangdong, meanwhile, announced its first batch of 25 pilot hospitals for international medical services in March this year.
Zhang Chaofeng, a lecturer at the School of Economics and Management of Yangtze Normal University who specializes in medical insurance, believes that international medical services in public hospitals are not covered by China’s public health insurance system, allowing doctors to go beyond the restrictions of the national insurance reimbursement catalog and charge higher fees. He said that the establishment of international departments at hospitals is the result of multiple factors, including healthcare system design, financial pressures facing hospitals, and differentiated access to medical services.
No Significant Impact on the Public Healthcare System
Although cross-border healthcare services are becoming increasingly popular, not every medical institution is well suited to enter this field.
Zhang Chunyan acknowledged that international patients currently remain concentrated in certain regions. Some hospitals also need to rely on international patient referral agencies to continuously identify suitable overseas patients in order to cover the high operating costs of their international departments.
Moreover, the growing demand for medical treatment in China has exposed certain policy gaps.
For example, China does not currently have a dedicated “medical visa.” Most patients coming to China for treatment typically apply for an S2 visa for private affairs, which allows a stay of up to 180 days, but does not provide specific supporting services for medical treatment.
“This is different from countries with more developed international healthcare systems,” Zhang Chunyan said. “In South Korea, for example, international patients applying for a medical visa are required to purchase appropriate local commercial insurance to cover potential medical disputes and other risks.”
Insurance is another barrier. A Thai patient said that their commercial health insurance currently cannot be settled directly in China. The patient has to pay upfront and then seek reimbursement after returning to Thailand. “Fortunately, Chinese hospitals have handled many similar cases and can help us issue the required documentation for reimbursement.”
Li Lan, a representative of Zhongshan Hospital in Yuxi, said that China’s international patient referral system is not yet fully connected. There is a lack of unified standards and mutual-recognition agreements, while referral pathways between Chinese hospitals and medical institutions in South and Southeast Asian countries remain unclear. Unclear responsibilities and relatively low coordination efficiency have reduced some international patients’ willingness to seek referrals to China.
In addition, Zhang Chunyan said that some international patients still have reservations about Chinese medical institutions. Few Chinese hospitals have sought JCI (Joint Commission International) accreditation. “China has other types of accreditation that can indirectly build patient trust, but we still need more ways to increase the international visibility of Chinese healthcare services.”
At the same time, some observers have raised another concern: although the growing number of international patients has not yet placed significant pressure on China’s public healthcare system, could the rapid expansion of international medical services eventually lead some hospitals to prioritize profitable international services at the expense of their responsibility to provide basic public healthcare?
Regulators have already taken such concerns into consideration.
China previously stipulated that special medical services provided by public hospitals must account for no more than 10% of all medical services. Within the public healthcare system, international medical services are generally categorized as a form of specialized or premium medical service.
Some regions that have introduced standards for international medical services have also established relevant requirements. For example, international departments must have independent treatment areas, dedicated examination equipment, and separate inpatient wards. Such physical separation creates differentiated service spaces and helps prevent interaction between the public healthcare system and international medical services from affecting each other.
The Specifications for International Medical Services recently issued by Chongqing stipulate that medical institutions providing international medical services should establish independent international medical service areas, with specific standards covering a range of supporting facilities and services.
Chinese Medical Standards Going Global
Chinese Medical Standards Go Global
At an April press conference, Jiao Yahui, director-general of the Department of Medical Administration of China’s National Health Commission, said that China has developed its own international hospital accreditation standards. She also encouraged foreign-funded medical institutions to actively participate in and adopt the Chinese standards, using them as a basis for connecting with international commercial health insurance systems.
According to available information, China’s international hospital accreditation standards have now become an international standard that operates alongside JCI (Joint Commission International) and ACHS (Australian Council on Healthcare Standards). The standards support direct settlement with certain international health insurers and facilitate the mutual recognition of medical test results within the applicable standards.
Nationwide, cities including Shanghai, Shenzhen, Xiamen, Xi’an, and Urumqi have established international medical service centers and launched cross-border patient referral services. As hospitals take the lead in expanding overseas, they are also helping Chinese medical device and pharmaceutical industries expand internationally, creating greater synergies across the healthcare industry ecosystem and building new industrial structures.
As these mechanisms continue to develop, deeper changes are taking place. The internationalization of Chinese healthcare is no longer simply about “foreign patients coming to China for treatment.” Instead, through the export of standards and the international promotion of Chinese medical culture, China is building a high-quality, globally connected healthcare ecosystem.
Source: People’s Daily – China Economic Weekly
https://paper.people.com.cn/zgjjzk/pc/content/202605/15/content_30167757.html
