China Health System and Services

The Chinese healthcare and medical system can be extremely confusing to foreign nationals. With the increased privatization of many medical facilities around the country, and a complex rating system, it is not easy to know where to go for treatment. At China health insurance we have extensive local knowledge and can help you to receive the quality healthcare that you deserve.

Chinese hospitals are classified in three general levels of 1 ?3. A level 3 hospital will provide the highest standard of care with a level 1 facility providing the worst. Additionally there are three sublevels of A ?C, where A is the highest and C is the lowest. The top hospitals in China will always be classified a 3A, and there have been cases of hospitals receiving a classification of 3A+, indicating that they can provide some of the best medical treatment in the country.

However, most medical facilities that receive a 3 classification will have extremely high costs associated with their treatment. Until the 1980's many hospitals where run as government agencies, meaning that costs associated with treatment would be consistently low. However, with the rapid development of a free market economy in many major cities, the majority of Class 3 hospitals have been purchased by private corporations that have increased costs to a level normally associated with the best western hospitals.

Traditionally physicians would have lifetime contracts at government run hospitals, however, with the recent reforms of the healthcare sector, and the fact that the Chinese government is proactively introducing privatization, doctors are now facing job insecurity that had never existed before. On the positive side, this means that doctors at class 3 hospitals are qualified for their jobs and deserve their position, so you can be assured of the highest quality treatment.

In 2002 China had a total of 306, 000 healthcare and medical organizations. Of this approximately 63,000 were hospitals, 219,000 were nursing homes and 22,000 fall into other miscellaneous categories. The reason that nursing homes outnumber other medical facilities is primarily due to the fact that China has a rapidly aging population after the introduction of the one child policy. Out of the total number of hospitals and medical facilities in the country, approximately 1% were “for profit organizations?in 2002.

If you need help in navigating the Chinese medical system, or would like to know where to go in order to receive treatment we can help. For information about hospitals and medical organizations with which we can arrange direct settlement please click here. If you would like to know more about international medical insurance plans, or would like a free quote, please contact us.

China Information