Shanghai serves more overseas patients amid internationalization of healthcare

Shanghai has been witnessing a surge in the international patients who travel to the city in search of more efficient and personalized medical treatments as the metropolitan moves faster to boost the openness of its healthcare services.

Shanghai has been leading China's efforts to expand the openness of the country's healthcare sector. In early 2024, the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission released a notice on promoting the internationalization of its health service sector, noting that the city should move faster to build its leading public hospitals into international medical tourism pilot institutions and standardize the city's international medical services.

According to the norms of international medical services released by the authorities in June, international services in Shanghai will feature high-standard services and techniques and target mainly the cross-border travelers seeking medical treatment.

Matthew, a British patient, was diagnosed with the carcinoma of cardia after receiving a checkup in Shanghai. He went through the phase I surgery and radiotherapy quickly. "I have never received treatment like this," said Matthew, adding that the speed of treatment provided by Shanghai's healthcare system is "second to none."

"I think the most important thing for me really is the speed of treatment and the speed of treatment and analysis of your healthcare at that point, and time is absolutely second to none. I have never received treatment like this," he said.

To better serve the personalized needs of the international patients with complex diseases, the multiple disciplinary teams (MDT) in Shanghai's top hospitals are providing medical services for their overseas customers.

The released norms of international medical services also specify the regulations on an international medical information system apart from other demands on the medical treatment spaces, drugs, medical equipment, and the medical devices. The information system should be compatible with the international medical services to be provided, with the information on appointment, consultation, examination, treatment, health management, and payment settlement being recorded, said the norms.

"We will communicate with the doctors and the hospitals of the countries where our patients come from. And the MDTs will work coordinately with each other to better support and further personalized our clinical treatments," said Chen Dan, director of the International Medical Service Department of the Zhongshan Hospital in Shanghai.

In 2023, 13 hospitals in Shanghai were given the title of Shanghai International Medical Tourism Pilot Institution of Public Hospital. Data showed that in the second quarter of this year, the outpatient clinics, the emergency clinics, and the inpatient departments of the 13 hospitals received over 160,000 visits from cross-border patients, marking a 22-percent year-over-year surge and a 15-percent month-over-month increase.

"There are at least 12 medical specialties in Shanghai now can provide the world-class clinical treatments. They are completely capable of serving the patients with premium medical services," said Luo Li, director of the Shanghai Research Center for Governance of Emerging Technologies in Medicine and Public Health.

Better international medical services will help boost Shanghai's economy, said Luo. According to an estimate of China Tourism Academy, by 2025, the country's medical tourism market will reach a scale of about 300 billion yuan (around 42 billion U.S. dollars).

"On the one hand, this stands for the quality of the services that Shanghai is capable of providing and the culture of Shanghai. On the other hand, it can help inject new capitals and vitality into Shanghai's economy," said Luo.

Shanghai serves more overseas patients amid internationalization of healthcare

Some representative sites in Chinese capital Beijing have set good models of developing the practical value of ancient buildings while repairing and protecting them.

Beijing has been the capital of China for nearly 700 years, with only brief interruptions. The city has a rich architectural culture, from imperial palaces like the Forbidden City to traditional residential buildings.

China Global Television Network (CGTN) walked with national certified architect Zhang Yue presented into several remarkable cases of reusing historical structures and listened to her insights on preserving the antique architectures.

After graduating with a degree in architecture, Zhang started her career in 1999. For 25 years, Zhang has spent her regular working days on usual investigation in downtown Beijing.

Focusing on old buildings and renovated historical structures, she said the Memorial Hall of Qi Baishi's Former Residence is a typical well-done example.

The noted artist Qi Baishi died in 1957 at the age of 94. The memorial hall is a typical quadrangle residential building built in the middle of the Qing Dynasty, about 250 years ago. Located in the Yu'er Hutong in downtown Beijing, the building is not very big, but its simplicity, elegance and peace matter.

Zhang said its restoration is basically in line with the four principles proposed by the UNESCO, which is authenticity, minimal intervention, recognizability and reversibility.

"From the perspective of professionals, we hope that the issue of reuse should be considered before the restoration of ancient buildings. Such repairs could be better if there is consistency between conservation and utilization," Zhang said.

When she spoke of the difficulties during her 25 years as an architect, Zhang noted that she has covered some 5,000 kilometers on foot with her expeditionary style. She said that the more she explores, the stronger her reverence for Chinese traditional architectural culture.

"At the very beginning, my understanding of traditional architecture was only limited to the actual structures we saw. But there are many stories behind it, leaving us a great number of messages. After 20 years of working in this field, I still can't express myself easily because the mystery of traditional architecture is so deep," the architect said.

Just a 10-minute walk crossing the bustling Nanluoguxiang pedestrian street, a courtyard house called "HelloReading" is another site considered a good example of reuse after renovation.

"I think the good thing about this case is that learning knowledge of traditional culture or modern culture in such a traditional courtyard actually gives children a subtle influence," Zhang said.

Since its establishment in 2016, HelloReading has served over 1,500 families as a reading studio for children aged 15 and under. The organizers moved the studio into the popular scenic area in March 2023. They said the rent is higher than before, but it's worth it, considering the profound meaning behind reading.

"Particularly when you compare the hustle and bustle from the Nanluoguxiang street, you feel very quiet as soon as you enter the courtyard, as if you have come to another world. Many of our members and children live in apartment buildings. They say there are few other kids to play with when living in the apartment buildings. And they can hardly feel the weather changes all year round. But when they come here, they feel very down to-earth and energetic. Parents have also realized that their children are more relaxed and natural in this place," said Sarah Hu, an event organizer at HelloReading.

Restoration, reuse of ancient buildings in Beijing