Local Hospitals - Demo
The Chinese medical system is comprised mostly of large, busy public and private hospitals. Most hospitals in China practice Western medicine, and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) may also be prescribed for certain ailments.
Local hospitals can provide some very good and inexpensive treatment, but can be a very confusing and overwhelming experience for foreigners if you do not speak Chinese and are not familiar with the local hospital system. We recommend taking a Chinese person with you if you need to go to a local hospital.
Be aware that normally you must pay before you receive treatment.
Foreigner/VIP Clinic Local Hospitals
Some local hospitals have VIP/foreigner clinics, which may have some staff who speak English.
Often if the medical problem is more than minor the patient will be taken to the main hospital accompanied by an English-speaking nurse from the clinic to undergo further treatment.
Procedure
A standard doctor’s visit will include the following steps:
1. Obtaining (and paying for) a number/ticket for the correct department
2. Waiting to see the doctor. There may be a line, waiting crowd or they may call your number.
3. Sitting opposite the desk of a doctor and describing symptoms to him/her and answering questions he/she may have. There will be other doctors and patients in the room at this time.
4. The doctor prescribes any tests or treatments.
5. You go to the payment area and pay for any tests or treatments.
6. You go to the appropriate testing area or pharmacy for treatment.
7. After any tests, return with the results to show to the original doctor who decides on treatment.
8. If the doctor prescribes medication it may be Chinese, western or often a combination of both.
9. Proceed again to the payment area then to the pharmacy for the medication.
No treatment will be given before cash payment, and this can result in many trips between the cashier and the various treatment rooms/doctors offices.
Make sure you have enough cash (or a debit card to a Chinese bank account) with you for the treatment of yourself or your family.
Things To Consider
Chinese prefer injections to oral treatments. Thus even an earache may be prescribed an intravenous (IV) drip.
Personal space and privacy are not widely recognized in China, therefore when you are speaking to the doctor it is very likely that there will be other people watching & listening to you. Meeting with a doctor or nurse in private is almost unheard of in Chinese hospitals.
The 'bedside manner' of Chinese doctors can be startling to westerners used to 'kind, empathetic, caring' doctors. Doctors in China want to make you better, but expect you to be ready for treatment without special coddling. Do not expect doctors or nurses to warn you before they inject you or examine you. This comes from the extremely high number of patients that they are expected to treat in one day.
Hospitals do not necessarily provide meals for inpatients. If you need to stay in the hospital, make sure that you have informed your company representative as well as your insurance provider.
Visiting hours are not strictly enforced, so if you are sharing a room with one or more patients, the room can be filled with noisy visitors most times of day or night. This can be especially irritating for western patients who feel that peace and quiet will aid their recovery, while the Chinese in the next bed (and his family) thinks that peace and quiet is lonely and frightening.
Ambulance services
For medical emergencies, especially in second and third tier cities or remote locations, many people recommend getting a taxi, as it is quicker and ambulances often do not carry sophisticated medical equipment or trained medical staff.
Find Out More
There is not a lot of reliable information in English about local hospitals in China online and what there is often only tells you the address.
See the links below for: The Beijing Government site gives information about hospitals in the municipality; other cities' English language government websites give a lot less. The US Embassy maintains a basic list of major hospitals in various provinces. Most countries provide 'Traveler' sections on their websites that provide varying degrees of information.
More Information, Examples & Resources
Examples are chosen as being fit for purpose, best available, having a good reputation and stable web presence. If a link does not work please let us know and we will fix or replace it.
If a website is not working it does not necessarily mean that the vendor/service is no longer available. Often in China a website will re-appear hours, days or even months later, often updated, and the vendor/service has been available throughout.
http://beijing.usembassy-china.org.cn/acs_health.html
www.bjhb.gov.cn
www.fco.gov.uk
www.smartraveller.gov.au
