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Alice Yan

The increasing flow of foreign travellers to China in recent years has been given a shot in the arm with many people coming to the country to seek medical treatment.
The trend has attracted attention online recently after overseas bloggers shared their experiences of visiting Chinese hospitals.
A prominent case involved a British woman called Amie who told of her trip to China in December, to treat her long-standing stomach problem.
She said she could not see a doctor because of long waiting lists in the UK’s public healthcare system.
Amie flew to Beijing and made an appointment at a major hospital.

The next day, she met with the doctor for blood and electrocardiogram tests.
Later she received a gastroscopy in which doctors removed several polyps.
She received her report a week later and the whole treatment lasted for only 12 days according to her viral videos.
Her medical costs were 2,800 yuan (US$400), in stark contrast to a single endoscope test which costs between £3,000 and £5,000 (US$4,000 and US$7,000) at a private clinic in the UK.
“I am really impressed. This is so efficient,” said Amie. “This medical tour is so worthwhile.”

Such trips are made easier thanks to China’s visa-free rules.
At present, China allows 240-hour visa-free transit stays for residents from 55 countries, with a visa-free policy for another 48 countries.
Foreign internet users compared the medical bills between China and Western countries.
For example, a regular heart examination in China costs US$75, but it would cost between US$10,000 and US$20,000 without insurance in the United States.

An emergency medical process, including an ambulance, a blood test and treatment, is around US$144 in China, but the price for an ambulance alone in the US could be as high as thousands of dollars or more without insurance.
The price of an X-ray check-up in Chinese hospitals, just US$19, shocked a US internet user who said on social media: “A medical simulation toy in a supermarket is even more expensive than this.”
“In the UK, I waited three months for an urgent scan. Then one month for the doctor to ring me to discuss the results,” said one internet user.

Another person said: “In Canada, your broken bone reattaches itself before any doctor shows up.”
Some foreigners came to China to seek medical help because of its cutting-edge techniques in particular areas.
In January, a Chinese-Canadian man, known as Kevin, who has practised medicine in Vancouver, Canada, took his 10-year-old daughter to treat a pancreatic condition at Shanghai Ruijin Hospital, one of the country’s top medical institutions.
Before the trip, Kevin had checked with doctors in Canada as well as experts in America and Japan online, but all of them suggested to him that his daughter’s spleen and the tumour cells should be removed.
Hoping to keep the spleen, Kevin searched online and found some patients sharing their experience and claiming that doctors at Ruijin Hospital would try to maintain the organ.
On January 10, doctors at the hospital carried out the operation on Kevin’s daughter. Her spleen was successfully retained. The girl recovered well and was discharged from hospital.
“We only paid 160,000 yuan (US$23,000). Which is totally acceptable to us,” Kevin told the Shanghai media outlet Wen Hui Bao.
“Pancreatic surgeons at Ruijin Hospital are world-class. The hospital not only has leading surgical techniques, but also leading medical concepts, equipment operating abilities and nursing services,” he added.

The top three service items for foreigners are dental, ophthalmic services and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) physiotherapy, which includes massage, acupuncture and cupping.
A member of senior management at a hospital in Shanghai said they had seen a remarkable increase in foreign patients over the past two years.
“It is not necessary for local residents to worry that our medical resources will be occupied by foreigners,” the unidentified manager told the media.
A foreigner-targeting medical service report issued by China’s National Health Commission showed that the international department of big hospitals across the country received 1.28 million visits by foreign patients in 2025, up 73.6 per cent from three years ago.
All hospitals in China received a combined 10 billion visits during the same period, meaning that most patients remain local residents.


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Foreigners flock to China for affordable medical treatment, drawn by free visa policy

Many foreigners are seeking medical treatment in China, attracted by the free visa policy and lower costs compared to their home countries. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Xinhua

This composite image shows eight people who have travelled to China for medical treatment. Photo: Baidu

Many foreigners, including the man on the right, say treatment in China is better and cheaper than at home. Photo: Baidu

Foreigners are seeking treatment in medical facilities like the one, above left, thanks to China’s visa-free policy which has been widely reported in the media, right. Photo: Baidu

Foreign tourists walk near the Forbidden City in Beijing. Despite the rise in foreigners seeking treatment, the vast bulk of patients in China remain local residents. Photo: EPA-EFE

Tourists from Italy visit Shanghai’s Bund area. The city is home to some of the country’s top hospitals. Photo: Xinhua

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The enraged father rants outside his daughter’s bedroom door as she hides inside. Photo: The Paper

The man kicks his daughter’s bedroom door after smashing up a hairdryer. Photo: The Paper

A happy family of three play on a sofa. Psychological experts say the man’s outburst could have a long-term effect on his daughter’s mental health. Photo: Shutterstock

China woman adjusts community traffic mirror for better feng shui, causing series of accidents

At a residential compound in Shanghai, a series of accidents were linked to a resident’s adjustments to a traffic mirror intended for better feng shui. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/QQ.com

One of the mirrors which reflects a sharp turn and is designed to help drivers navigate it. Photo: QQ.com

The road in the Shanghai residential compound where the mirror controversy unfolded. Photo: QQ.com

The woman at the centre of the feng shui row is caught on a mobile phone camera. Photo: QQ.com

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News

People & Culture

Number of foreign visits to mainland hospitals spikes to 1.28 million in 2025, a rise of 73 per cent on the number 3 years ago


Number of foreign visits to mainland hospitals spikes to 1.28 million in 2025, a rise of 73 per cent on the number 3 years ago.


Medicine

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)

Foreigners flock to China for affordable medical treatment, drawn by free visa policy

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Number of foreign visits to mainland hospitals spikes to 1.28 million in 2025, a rise of 73 per cent on the number 3 years ago

Number of foreign visits to mainland hospitals spikes to 1.28 million in 2025, a rise of 73 per cent on the number 3 years ago