Economic Observer reporter Zhang Rui

At around 4 pm on March 20th, outside the CT examination channel of Mengla County People's Hospital in Xishuangbanna Prefecture, China, translator Song Zhangwen and several patients from Laos (hereinafter referred to as "Laotian patients") were waiting for a call.

Song Zhangwen's phone rang from time to time, with Laotian patients receiving treatment in the outpatient and inpatient departments, as well as the families of Laotian patients in the ICU emergency room.

This is the nearest county-level hospital on the Chinese border to Laos. Above the main entrance of this hospital, it reads: Based on the border, radiating overseas.

Zhang Xueyan, president of the People's Hospital of Mengla County, introduced to the Economic Observer that since 2022, under the strategic background of actively integrating into the "the Belt and Road Initiative" and "Healthy China", the hospital has cooperated with five Lao hospitals, including Nanta Provincial Hospital and Nanta County Hospital in Laos, and launched the construction project of China Laos cross-border regional medical and health service pilot demonstration area (hereinafter referred to as "China Laos cross-border medical cooperation project"). This is the first time that China Laos cross-border medical cooperation has received support at the national level, and the health departments of China and Laos have launched a formal dialogue.

According to records from Mengla County People's Hospital, the number of overseas patients seeking medical treatment at the hospital increased from 354 per year to 11096 per year from 2013 to 2025. Among them, about 90% are Laotians.

Recently, the Economic Observer visited Mengla County People's Hospital on site and interviewed the hospital director, medical staff, and patients to learn about the other side of this Chinese county-level hospital located on the southwest border as a "gateway hospital".

From sporadic seeking medical treatment to tens of thousands of cross-border patients

It takes about 1 hour to drive from Mengla County People's Hospital to Mohan Port (a land port from China to Laos).

Around 2013, before becoming a full-time translator at Mengla County People's Hospital, Song Zhangwen ran a small restaurant at Mohan Port. Due to his long-term experience living in Laos, he occasionally took on some translation work - "taking Laotians to China for medical treatment".

Song Zhangwen recalled that most of the Laotians who sought medical treatment in China at that time were businessmen doing business on the China Laos border, or Laotian women and their relatives who married into China.

In 2014, after becoming a full-time translator at Mengla County People's Hospital, Song Zhangwen gained an official identity and could confidently go to Laos to "go to the countryside": visiting villages along the China Laos border one by one. At that time, Song Zhi's diploma had gained recognition from many local villagers by borrowing his "little fame". The effect of "going to the countryside" was also immediate: in 2014, the number of overseas patients received by the outpatient department of Mengla County People's Hospital increased to 2065, of which more than 80% were Laotians. More and more Laotians have noticed that there are people in this hospital who can understand their words, and even dedicated staff to accompany, guide, and communicate with doctors during their examinations.Almost all the villages near the China Laos border know the names of us (Songzhangwen and Mengla County People's Hospital), and some villages have my contact phone number posted, so patients can call me directly, "said Song Zhangwen.

Zhang Xueyan told the Economic Observer that in 2017, the cross-border medical work of Mengla County People's Hospital began to take shape: Song Zhangwen no longer "fought alone", but went to Laos with more medical staff to "go to the countryside" to promote.

Why do Laotian patients choose Mengla County People's Hospital? Several Laotian patients and medical workers seeking treatment at Mengla County People's Hospital told Economic Observer that in Laos, medical resources are mainly concentrated in major cities such as Vientiane, while county-level hospitals in northern Laos (near the Chinese border) have relatively scarce medical resources, and many basic examinations cannot be conducted.

The Ministry of Commerce's investment guide for Laos (2024 version) shows that both national employees and ordinary residents in Laos enjoy free medical care. According to the 2022 United Nations survey data, the average life expectancy in Laos is 69.54 years, ranking ninth among the ten ASEAN countries. The main infectious diseases in the area are hepatitis and dengue fever.

From 2017 to 2019, the number of Laotian patients at Mengla County People's Hospital steadily increased from around 3000 to about 4000. Until 2020, affected by the COVID-19, the number of Laotian patients coming to China for medical treatment will plummet.

In December 2021, as a landmark project of the "the Belt and Road", the China Laos Railway will be officially opened to traffic. This project has also become an important force in promoting cross-border medical cooperation between China and Laos. Previously, when Laotian patients came to Mengla, it took a bumpy ride for most of the day. Now, trains can arrive in just over an hour, "said Song Zhuowen. In 2024 and 2025, the number of Laotian patients receiving treatment at Mengla County People's Hospital will increase sharply.

According to data from Mengla County People's Hospital, in 2024, the number of foreign patients treated at the hospital increased by 89% compared to 2023, with Laotian patients accounting for 97.26%; From 2024 to 2025, the number of overseas patients treated by Mengla County People's Hospital will increase from 5742 to 11096.

From civilian contacts to official cooperation

In 2013, at Mengla County People's Hospital, Laotian patients mainly relied on personal connections to seek medical treatment. In 2022, there has been a qualitative change in cross-border medical "interaction" at the China Laos border: the health departments of China and Laos have begun to establish cooperation mechanisms.

On March 20th, Zhang Xueyan reviewed the exploration process from 0 to 1 in an interview with the Economic Observer. According to its introduction, in September 2022, relevant departments of the National Health Commission commissioned the Yunnan Provincial Health Commission's External Exchange and Cooperation Department to launch the construction project of the China Laos Cross border Regional Medical and Health Service Pilot Demonstration Zone. Mengla County People's Hospital is one of the six border county hospitals participating in the project in Yunnan Province.

Zhang Xueyan introduced to the Economic Observer that in the first phase of cross-border medical cooperation between China and Laos, Mengla County People's Hospital invited experts in the medical field from Xishuangbanna prefecture level, Yunnan provincial level, and national level to participate in online and offline training and exchange activities. Staff from multiple hospitals in Laos also actively participated. "The first phase of the project received recognition and praise from the leaders of the health departments of both countries.

After the completion of the first phase of cross-border medical cooperation between China and Laos, Mengla County People's Hospital and several county-level hospitals in Laos have initially established the "China Laos Co built Grassroots Medical and Health Service Health Center". On March 20th, the Economic Observer saw signs at Mengla County People's Hospital that read "China Laos Joint Construction of Grassroots Medical and Health Service Health Center". The signs showed that the project was supported by the International Cooperation Department of the National Health Commission of China and the Health and Health Promotion Department of the Ministry of Health of Laos.

The sign of this health center is not only hung here, but also in the cooperative hospitals in Laos, which can increase the trust of Laotian patients and medical personnel in us. "Zhang Xueyan told reporters that from civil exchanges to the signing of cooperation agreements and the establishment of mechanisms between the two countries, the path of cross-border medical care between China and Laos finally has institutional guarantees.

Zhang Xueyan also stated that the hospital has proposed the "1+N" model based on the experience of the first phase of the project, further expanding the scope of cross-border medical cooperation between China and Laos, including patient referral, technical training, talent cultivation, etc. In 2023, Mengla County People's Hospital organized a medical team of 12 people to participate in free clinics, training, ward rounds, and Dai medicine promotion and training at cooperative hospitals in Laos. A total of more than 40 Laotian medical personnel were trained, including over 500 free clinics.

From 2023 to 2025, Mengla County People's Hospital has undergone a transformation: from an ordinary county-level hospital on the Chinese border, it has risen to become a key development and opening experimental zone hospital in Mengla (Mohan). During this period, Mengla County People's Hospital also completed the overall relocation from the old campus to the new campus, and further expanded its medical equipment, talent and other resources.

"During the COVID-19, the hospital expanded its medical staff for epidemic prevention, which became an important force to support the construction of our new hospital," said Zhang Xueyan.

Laotian doctors studying in China

In addition to Chinese medical workers going to Laos for "rural visits and free clinics", Laotian medical workers also come to China for further studies, and Laotian doctor Ami is one of them.

On March 20th, in the office of a cardiologist at Mengla County People's Hospital, Ami was studying to read electrocardiogram reports. Ami told the Economic Observer that she comes from a Sino Lao joint venture international hospital in Oudomxay Province, Laos. The hospital has signed a cooperation agreement with Mengla County People's Hospital and will send Laotian doctors to Chinese hospitals for learning and exchange every year in the future.

Ami also told reporters that before coming to Mengla County People's Hospital, she had studied abroad at Guizhou Medical University. Around 2015, Ami graduated from a high school in Laos with the highest score in the school and received a scholarship from the local government to study clinical medicine at Guizhou Medical University. That was my first time in China, and my first impression was that the city was very beautiful. In my first year of college, I mainly studied Chinese, "Ami said.

In 2021, Ami returned to Laos after graduating from Guizhou Medical University and started working at a hospital in Oudomxay Province. This hospital is considered to have good conditions in our local area, but there is still a gap compared to Chinese (same level) hospitals, "she said.

Ami further explained that some common routine inspection items in China are only available in major cities such as Vientiane in Laos. In Laos, most county-level hospitals are usually equipped with one general practitioner and several office staff.

Ami told reporters that in the northern region of Laos that she is familiar with, patients with certain economic conditions will choose to transfer to China for treatment due to its proximity to China. It takes about a few hours to drive from our place to Mohan Port, and there are usually people who have been contacted in advance to pick us up after passing the border, "she said.

When interviewed by the Economic Observer, Ami had been studying at Mengla County People's Hospital for about three months. Ami said that she can now independently operate electrocardiogram detection equipment to analyze common arrhythmias. For some complex conditions, she can consult Chinese doctors in the cardiology department at any time. She also stated that after the completion of this study, her hospital will import an electrocardiogram device from China, and 'we can use it when we go back'.

At Mengla County People's Hospital, Laotian trained doctors like Ami are not uncommon. According to the hospital, with the continuous promotion of cross-border medical cooperation between China and Laos, the hospital has established a regular exchange mechanism with several hospitals in northern Laos, and regularly receives medical staff sent by Laos for further training every year, covering multiple fields such as cardiology, orthopedics, emergency department, etc.

Will it encroach on local medical resources

In 2026, Mengla County People's Hospital has set a development goal for the 15th Five Year Plan: by 2030, to build a three-level comprehensive regional medical center and national health gateway that is based in Mengla, radiates overseas, and faces South Asia and Southeast Asia.

On March 20th, Zhang Xueyan told the Economic Observer that as a Chinese public hospital rooted in the border areas, the core responsibility of the hospital is to serve more than 300000 local residents well, and cannot ignore the local medical services that should be guaranteed just because of the development of overseas medical care.

In response to concerns about foreign patients encroaching on medical resources in society, Zhang Xueyan admitted that the hospital was limited by spatial conditions before relocation, and this situation may indeed exist. Now that the new campus has sufficient volume to balance local and overseas medical services, "if there are special circumstances, we will still prioritize the protection of domestic patients, and overseas medical services are only supplementary, not all".

However, it is precisely this' supplement 'that holds special significance for hospitals. Zhang Xueyan stated that foreign-related medical income belongs to non-medical insurance income. Against the backdrop of tightening medical insurance payment policies and profound adjustments in the income structure of public hospitals, it is also an important source of income for hospitals to maintain daily operations, improve employee benefits, and achieve long-term development.

Zhang Xueyan also emphasized that this is not simply a utilitarian calculation, and the increase in overseas patients has also promoted the hospital to improve its overall service capabilities. For example, in departments such as cardiology and rehabilitation where Laotian patients are more concentrated, the technical level and reception capabilities of the relevant departments are constantly improving. On the other hand, there is an international bus at the hospital entrance every day, and overseas patients can take the bus directly to the port, achieving seamless connection. At the same time, the new campus has also built organic platforms, 5G remote consultation centers, and signed helicopter transfer agreements with provincial hospitals, but all construction is aimed at one goal: to serve both the local area and the overseas community.

The Economic Observer also learned during the visit that medical conditions and costs are the two most important factors for Laotians seeking medical treatment in China. A family member of a Laotian patient told reporters that the treatment costs at Mengla County People's Hospital still put some pressure on ordinary Laotian residents.

According to the aforementioned information from the Ministry of Commerce, according to data provided by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the highest monthly income per capita in Laos is 2.678 million Kip (approximately 1124 RMB). Song Zhangwen also calculated an account for the Economic Observer: a Laotian patient came to Mengla County People's Hospital for treatment, with treatment costs ranging from 5000 to 10000 yuan, and a few seriously ill patients spending over 100000 yuan.

In addition, the reporter also noticed that a considerable number of Laotian patients or their families who come to China for medical treatment are themselves members of the local medical system in Laos.

Zhang Xueyan told the Economic Observer that a Laotian journalist once asked her what kind of preferential policies Chinese hospitals can provide to Laotian patients? Her answer is very clear: "Laotian patients who come to China enjoy equal treatment as Chinese people

Zhang Xueyan said that in the process of promoting cross-border medical services, hospitals will not lower their service standards. She also stated that the hospital is exploring the introduction of third-party commercial insurance institutions to provide commercial medical insurance services for Laotian patients seeking medical treatment across borders. "We hope to pilot this from county hospitals and within Xishuangbanna Prefecture. If this path can be taken, it will be a good thing for both the hospital and Laotian patients.

Regarding the future development pace, Zhang Xueyan stated that according to the current plan, Mengla County People's Hospital is not in a hurry to "expand" the cross-border medical care between China and Laos, but hopes to "do more in-depth and meticulous work". In her opinion, instead of pursuing scale expansion, it is better to focus on service quality, process integration, and guarantee mechanisms to make cross-border healthcare truly stable and practical.