Medical Tourism - Destination - China

General Culture

China is among the world’s top travel destinations. The Chinese culture is one of the world’s oldest and most complex cultures. The area in which the culture is dominant covers a large geographical region in eastern Asia, with customs and traditions varying greatly between towns, cities and provinces.

Safety

China ranks 80 in the Global Peace Index (GPI). It is safer compared to other Asian countries, but compared to the rest of the world, its score is relatively low.

Tourists Attractions and Sights

• The Great Wall winds its way across China covering over 4,000 miles (6,700km).
• Forbidden City: the largest, best-preserved, mass group of palaces in China, if not in the world.
• The Terracotta Warriors: the terracotta army, buried in 210 BC with the first emperor of the Qin dynasty.
• Tiananmen Square: the largest square in the world located next to the Forbidden City in Beijing.
• The bund: Shanghai’s fabulous neoclassical and art deco sweep of architectural grandeur.

Visa Requirements

There are no particular difficulties for travellers entering China. The main requirement is a passport (valid for travel for six months after the expiry date of the visa) and a visa. As a general rule, visas cannot be obtained at the border. When this report was written, visas were not required for most western nationals to visit Hong Kong or Macau. Some visa-free transits exist. Chinese Immigration officers are scrupulous and, by definition, highly bureaucratic, but not difficult or overly officious. Travellers arriving in China will be given a health declaration form and an arrival form to complete.

Transportation

The most common way of transportation for long distances in China is by railway. The railway system is affordable and well-organised. The bigger cities in China are also equipped with a subway system. The amount of highways has increased drastically over the last few years and it is possible to reach every city in China by bus or car. However, the road conditions can be very poor in remote areas.

For short distances, the taxis are the preferable means of transportation. Taxies operate in all Chinese cities and are relatively cheap compared with western standards. The four biggest airports are located in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. Domestic travel by plane is getting more popular in China. Shanghai and Guangzhou are the largest sea ports in China. Both ports are connected with large and well-developed navigable inland waterways. However, the standards are different from western countries and most public services do not have English speaking staff.

Accommodation

In both Beijing and Shanghai, most of the major hotel chains are present, such as Marriott Hotels and Resorts, Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Accor Hotels, Intercontinental Hotels Group and Golden Tulip Hospitality Group. Accommodation differs from budget to high end hotels. Budget hotels and hostels are more economical than western ones, although five star hotels have about the same price as in western countries. Concerning medical tourism, there are no hospitals working together with hotels available in China.

In total there are 506 airports in the country. In addition, there is an extensive rail and road network throughout the UK. Furthermore, one can use the channel tunnel to travel to mainland Europe. In general, it is very convenient to travel from the UK to European countries and the prices are reasonable.

Health Care Providers

China is reforming its healthcare system. The New Rural Co-operative Medical Care System (NRCMCS) is a 2005 initiative to overhaul the healthcare system, particularly intended to make it more affordable for the rural, poorer population. Under the NRCMCS, the annual cost of medical coverage is 50 Yuan (US$7) per person. Of that, 20 Yuan are paid by the central government, 20 Yuan by the provincial government and a contribution of 10 Yuan is made by the patient. As of September 2007, around 80% of the rural population of China had signed up (about 685 million people). If patients go to a small hospital or clinic in their local town, the system will cover roughly 70-80% of their bill. If the patient visits a county clinic, the percentage of the cost being covered falls to about 60%. If the patient requires a specialist in a modern city hospital, the plan would cover about 30% of the bill.

Insurance

Insurance is not compulsory in China; however with the new systems, the majority of Chinese inhabitants have a certain health insurance (90%). It is always possible to buy additional private health insurance to get an extra coverage for special treatment. The NRCMCS covers only partly basic treatment. Because of the amount of inhabitants in China, there is also a big difference in demand. Chinese health insurance companies therefore offer a wide assortment of different health insurance packages.

Top Facilities

China has 8 JCI accredited hospitals, the following facilities are considered in this project:

• Beijing United Family Hospital and Clinics
• Clifford Hospital
• Shanghai United Family Hospital and Clinics
• Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital
• TEDA International Cardiovascular Hospital

General Medical Tourism Information

China is the world’s fourth largest country for inbound tourism. The number of overseas general tourists was 55 million in 2007. Foreign exchange income was 41.9 billion US dollars, China’s medical specialties include: cardiology, neurology, orthopaedics and others. The cost of the medical procedures in China is 80 per cent less than the same procedures in the US.

A number of private and governmental hospitals in major cities have established international departments. Many leading hospitals provide treatment integrating Traditional Chinese Medicine with western medical technology and techniques. China is home to leading stem cell research and hospitals that offer Westerners stem cell treatment that are still considered experimental or have yet to be approved in their home country.

Steams

The inbound medical tourism streams to China could not be determined because the Chinese government does not record the number of medical tourists.

Reasons

• China is home to leading stem cell research
• China is the world’s fourth largest country for inbound tourism
• Many leading hospitals provide treatment integrating Traditional Chinese Medicine with western medical technology and techniques.
• Tourist attractions such as the Great Wall in Beijing, Terracotta Warriors in Xian
• Affordability

Spezialisation

• Traditional Chinese Medicine
• Stem cell research and treatment
• Cardiology
• Neurology
• Orthopaedics

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

Conclusion

China is a late developer in the medical tourism industry. Until now it had a negative international reputation regarding quality and safety in the healthcare industry. The cost of the medical procedures in China is 80 per cent less than the same procedures in the USA. Nevertheless medical tourism in China is growing due to numerous opportunities such as: implementing international departments in hospitals; the availability of medical personnel who have mainly been trained in Europe or the USA. Furthermore, China is among the most technologically developed nations on earth today.