Economic Observer reporter Zhang Rui

The trend of "foreigners flocking to China for medical treatment" has blown into the exhibition hall of the China Import and Export Fair (referred to as "Canton Fair").

As a "barometer" of China's foreign trade, the 140th Canton Fair under way opened an international medical service zone for the first time. Several hospitals, including the Pearl River Hospital of Southern Medical University and Zhongshan Eye Center of Sun Yat sen University, participated in the fair and provided on-site "reception" services for international medical services.

At the same time, Guangzhou International Medical Tourism Center Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Lingnan Holdings (000524. SZ), launched three "international medical experience routes" to overseas buyers around high-end medical and traditional Chinese medicine health themes.

On October 19th, several international medical professionals from participating hospitals told Economic Observer reporters that the number of international patients seeking treatment at their hospitals has been on the rise since last year. According to information from Fosun Pharma (600196. SH), the number of overseas patients served by Fosun Health (Fosun Pharma's healthcare division) in the first half of this year has exceeded that of last year, with patients mainly coming from countries such as Indonesia, Bangladesh, Japan, and Peru.

Promote "one-stop" service

At the international medical service exhibition area of the Canton Fair, the reporter noticed that "one-stop" service has become a common practice for many hospitals and cultural and tourism enterprises to carry out international medical care.

Before coming to Guangzhou, in Guangzhou, after leaving Guangzhou, and outside the hospital, we handle all aspects of the company's business, "summarized Chen Yun (pseudonym), a staff member in charge of international medical reception affairs at Guangzhou International Medical Tourism Center.

In March of this year, the Guangdong Provincial Health Commission announced the first batch of 25 international medical service pilot hospitals. Chen Yun told the Economic Observer reporter that the center was established in this context, mainly to undertake the service links outside the traditional Chinese medicine hospital during the process of international patients coming to Guangzhou for medical treatment: early planning, assisting in visa processing, arranging transportation, and connecting with hospitals for treatment; Patients who leave Guangzhou after recovery, or during their stay in Guangzhou, their family members' accommodation, special catering, and other needs can also be accommodated; In addition, it also includes cultural and tourism experiences after medical treatment.

We have been running for half a year, and we have followed up on cases for consultation, accompanying consultations, and transportation. The reception volume is still increasing, "Chen Yun said. She believes that Lingnan Group's business covers commerce, tourism, food, and exhibitions, and its brands such as Garden Hotel, Oriental Hotel, and China Grand Hotel can form supporting facilities for food, accommodation, transportation, travel, shopping, and entertainment, which perfectly meets the needs of international patients for "medical treatment+travel".

Regarding the international medical clients currently received, Chen Yun stated that the service coverage of the center mainly includes Hong Kong, Macau, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. Among them, it is convenient for Hong Kong and Macao patients to seek medical treatment in the north, with advantages in cost-effectiveness and time cost; The cultural identity of the Southeast Asian Chinese community is relatively high; Middle Eastern patients are mainly interested in traditional Chinese medicine rehabilitation.

Chen Yun also said that international medical customers mainly pay for themselves, and some customers purchase commercial insurance to cover medical expenses.

Sun Yat sen University Zhongshan Eye Center is one of the 25 international medical service pilot hospitals mentioned above. Zeng Xin, a staff member of the International Medical Center of the hospital, told the Economic Observer that currently, the hospital provides supporting services in international medical services, including full appointment one-on-one consultation, exclusive independent consultation rooms, multilingual reception, full follow-up through enterprise WeChat, direct payment docking through commercial insurance, standardized English medical records, and cross-border remote follow-up. In addition, the hospital has an independent international medical zone of approximately 4000 square meters.

Zeng Xin also introduced that Zhongshan Ophthalmology Center is globally renowned for its comprehensive strength and has shown a significant growth trend in international outpatient services in the past two years. Last year, the international outpatient visits of the hospital were about 5000, with an increase of over 10% in the past two to three years. The number of patients seeking treatment is relatively high in Southeast Asia, with some also coming from Europe, Africa, the Americas, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan.

When it comes to the background of the establishment of the International Medical Center, Zeng Xin said that on the one hand, it is in response to the deployment of the National Health Commission and the Provincial Health Commission on the pilot of international medical services; On the other hand, there is indeed a high demand for international patients in clinical practice, and Zhongshan Eye Hospital has sufficient medical conditions and service capabilities.

Zeng Xin also believes that based on past service experience, language is not the main obstacle to international medical services, and foreign patients often face the problem of unfamiliarity with Chinese medical procedures and insurance information. In addition, it is necessary to comprehensively consider the patient's religious beliefs, dietary needs, privacy preferences, and different tendencies towards public or private hospitals.

Hospitals are laying out and patient demand is also increasing. In July of this year, travel service company Ctrip publicly released a report stating that a survey conducted in May among global travel agents showed that over 80% of overseas travel agencies, tourism groups, and other institutions showed a high interest in China's inbound medical care, with a particular focus on products that combine traditional Chinese medicine experience, health management, and wellness therapy with travel.

On October 15th, the Guangzhou Health Commission released data during the Canton Fair, stating that the number of international medical clinics in Guangzhou in the first half of this year was nearly 90000, a year-on-year increase of nearly 20%.

The industry is still in its infancy

Despite the increasing trend of "foreigners coming to China for medical treatment", the industry is still in its infancy.

Ctrip also pointed out in the above report that although the popularity of inbound medical care in China has significantly increased, the industry is still in the initial stage of cultivation, and there is still a considerable gap compared to mature international medical tourism brands such as Korean medical beauty and Thai health massage.

The report suggests that currently, the dissemination of Chinese medical tourism overseas is insufficient, and international awareness has not yet been formed. The overseas promotion of our country to foreign tourists still mainly focuses on traditional tourism content such as natural scenery, historical culture, food shopping, etc., and the systematic promotion of health consumption products such as traditional Chinese medicine, physical examination screening, and high-end medical care is relatively limited, "the report said.

Irish man Li Shuqi has lived in China for nearly ten years. In early 2026, he suffered a minor fracture during a football game and decided with "doubts" to go to a general outpatient clinic at a tertiary hospital in Shanghai to try it out. Li Shuqi told Economic Observer reporters that in Ireland, when people encounter illness, they usually go to a general practitioner for consultation first. If the doctor cannot handle it, they can then make an appointment to go to the hospital for treatment. "If it is not a critical illness, it will take some time".

This medical experience left a deep impression on me. The entire process was very convenient and efficient, from registration, diagnosis and treatment, to taking photos, all completed in one day for only 130 yuan, "he said. Since then, he has been a" fan "of medical services in China.

However, Li Shuqi also stated that to his knowledge, although coming to China for medical treatment overseas is a "hot topic", it has not yet become a widely popular choice.

Dr. Zhu Bilian from the International Medical Department of Zhongshan Ophthalmology Center at Sun Yat sen University told the Economic Observer that although there has been a recent increase in discussions about foreigners seeking medical treatment in China, overseas patients still lack awareness of China's medical conditions.

All the people who come to us for treatment highly recognize us. The key is how to get them to knock on this door and come in. "Zhu Bilian believes that expanding the promotion of China's medical level overseas is necessary, but fundamentally it still depends on hard power and service capabilities.

We have confidence in providing high-quality international medical services, "said Zhu Bilian.

Zeng Xin also stated that the dissemination of Zhongshan Ophthalmology Center International Medical Center on overseas social media platforms has not yet officially begun. We are already making preliminary preparations and will further strengthen them in the future, "she said.

(Author Zhang Rui)