How much does it cost to see a doctor in China?
That will primarily depend on what medical facility you decide to go to. Seeing a general practitioner in a public hospital in China will cost you around RMB 20-80 per visit plus medications. In comparison, same but in privately owned international style clinic will be around RMB 620-1150 price tag. Seeing a specialist is usually around 10-15% more expensive than that.
To remind our readers again, there are 2 types of medical facilities in China: government run hospitals (public care) as well as international type private clinics and hospitals. Last are quite often foreign funded and have several partnerships with overseas hospitals. This article will guide you on how much it costs to see a doctor in China.
Is medical expensive in China?
Lets start our analysis with public medical facilities. Best of those are referred to as Grade 3 hospitals. Social insurance will cover expenses in those. Quite a few of these facilities also have VIP or International department. Note that social insurance in won’t cover expenses in this case. Just a general department. Most well-know this type of hospitals are Ruijin Hospital上海市瑞金医院 and Huashan Hospital上海华山医院 in Shanghai. Others are Beijing Union Hospital 北京协和医院 and China-Japan Friendship Hospital中日友好医院 in Beijing.
Below is executive summary for getting health treatment in public government run hospitals in China.
Costs of medical in hospitals in China
If you are looking for giving birth in public hospitals, costs will range somewhere between CNY 3,000-8,000. This will apply for a general section and CNY 10,000-35,000 in a VIP section. Tier 1-2 cities tend to have larger costs compared to smaller cities.
Costs to see a doctor in China. Private medical care.
Similarly to public government run Tier 3 hospitals, this depends on city where you live and what kind of medical facility you go to. Cities like Beijing and Shanghai have higher medical bills for patient compared to similar treatments in Tier 2-3 cities. For example a well known chain of private clinics such as Parkway Health will easily charge you around RMB 1,500 for a general family doctor consultation in Shanghai. But drive 100km over to Suzhou and visit Parkway Health in Suzhou, costs will already be around 10-30% less. Refer to our article on what private hospitals in China for expats there are to learn more.
While we did cover costs of giving birth in China in our article here, let’s analyze how much RMB will it run for regular treatments. We will also include procedures from few reputable international clinics and hospitals. Foreigners and expats in China shall expect to spend around RMB 620-1,150 for a regular consultation with family doctor in private clinics. Seeing a specialist will be more within RMB 810-1,530 range. This will let you have a consultations with dermatologists, psychologists and physiotherapists.
How much does inpatient care cost in China?
Overnight stays will require RMB 3,050-4,590 of costs per night. While inpatient surgeries can greatly vary between RMB 5,100 and RMB 150,000 per incident. All depending on complexity of medical condition. Let’s dig into cost estimations that are provided directly by hospitals and that are usually quite accurate.
NOTE: very often hospitals can have preferential rates with several insurance companies. In that case you might be seeing bills with less zeros if you have insurance that supports direct billing services.
Some of the most popular international hospitals in Beijing are United Family – often referred to as BJU. Followed by OASIS International. Below are costs estimations published by BJU for regular health procedures.
United Family
Source: Beijing United Family Hospital website
Surprisingly, Shanghai United Family follows different price strategy and is on average around 30-40% lower in price. More details below.
Source: Shanghai United Family Hospital website.
Give or take but places like OASIS or Vista clinic in Beijing, Parkway in Shanghai will roughly be in the same price range. There is however a number of medical facilities that will present you even lower bills than Shanghai United Family. Examples would be Hong Kong Medical Center in capital and Jiahui or Sino-United in Shanghai. Below is for reference on average costs structure in Jiahui Health.
Source: Jiahui Health website
As you see costs to see a doctor in China in private facilities can vary largely too. Always make sure your health insurance covers medical facility you are about to go to. Ideally even with direct billing services so you can avoid hassle of claims bills for reimbursement. Get in touch with us to know more about options available for you & your family. At China Access Health will be happy to present you what insurance plans may suit you best.
FAQ
Can foreigners see doctors in China?
Yes, as a foreigner in China you can have access to both government run (public sector) hospitals as well as privately owned international style clinis too. Keep in mind very often you better make an appointment in advance in order to avoid crowds and huge waiting time.
Is healthcare free in China for tourists?
Healthcare in China is not free and costs can be very expensive. It is always best to make sure your travel insurance covers medical expenses in China. Additionally, double check if you have any deductibles or excess per visit. This way you can avoid unpleasant surprises with huge out of pocket spendings.
What are the good English speaking hospitals for expats in China?
If you are staying in Tier 1-2 cities then you have plenty of choice. Most popular locations among local expats and tourists include facilities such as United Family, Raffles Medical, Jiahui Health, Parkway and Global Doctors. You can also get semi-decent English servicing in VIP and International departments of some major local hospitals such as China Japan Friendship in Beijing or Huashan hospital in Shanghai. More in our article here.