FOUR Shenzhen hospitals are among the first group of 25 hospitals in Guangdong Province selected to pilot international medical services, according to the provincial health authorities.

They are Shenzhen People’s Hospital in Luohu District, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital in Futian, the University of Hong Kong–Shenzhen Hospital (HKU-SZH) in Nanshan, and Shenzhen Hospital of Soreuthern Medical University in Bao’an.

HKU-SZH, for instance, has already served over 1 million Hong Kong and Macao residents over the years, with traditional Chinese medicine, orthopedics, and cardiology being the most sought-after departments.

Most of the 25 hospitals are located in the Pearl River Delta and include well-known public hospitals and reputable traditional Chinese medicine hospitals. These hospitals will provide full-cycle services, including diagnosis, treatment, chronic disease management, physical exams, rehabilitation, and medical cosmetology. They have access to urgently needed drugs and medical equipment imported from Hong Kong and Macao under the “Hong Kong and Macao Medicine and Equipment Connect” policy.

International medical services refer to high-quality, sustainable medical care provided to residents of Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, foreign nationals and overseas Chinese who pay out-of-pocket or hold international commercial insurance. These services are based on internationally recognized medical technology standards, service processes, management systems, and payment methods. The costs are borne by the patients themselves or covered by commercial insurance, and are not covered by China’s basic medical insurance scheme

Many expats who have seen a doctor in China shared that they experienced affordable, efficient, and safe medical services. Videos posted under the hashtag “Medical Tourism” have been viewed more than 300 million times on TikTok.

Shenzhen, in fact, published a three-year action plan in 2024 to pilot international medical services in two phases. A total of 25 hospitals in the city have launched such pilots following international medical standards.

From 2023 to 2025, the number of outpatient and emergency visits by overseas patients in Shenzhen increased from 784,000 to 1.359 million, with an average annual growth rate of 31.7%. Inpatient admissions rose from 15,000 to 26,000, representing an average annual increase of 33.6%.

Wu Hongyan, director of the Shenzhen Municipal Health Commission, said the city again introduced 26 measures in March 2025 to support wholly foreign-owned hospitals and promote health-themed blocks near checkpoints in Futian, Luohu, and Nanshan. So far, the city has one foreign-owned hospital and 14 Hong Kong- or Macao-invested clinics.

The number of foreign nationals seeking medical treatment in Guangdong jumped by more than 20% last year, while demand for inpatient services surged by 76%. (Debra Li)