Going to a Hospital in China as a Tourist

Minor illnesses can be treated easily.

Go to the community hospital, which is also known as the community health service center. It’s close to home, less crowded, and more affordable. You can also go directly to a pharmacy. Please refer to the section titled “Do you need a prescription when buying medicine at a pharmacy”.

• How to find it: Use a map-based app to search for "hospital". Look for those with the word "community" in their names. You can also directly search for "community health service center". (Chinese text: )

Serious illnesses and conditions

Go to a Grade III Class A hospital. Grade III Class A is the highest level of public hospitals in China.

• How to find them: Search for "hospitals" in the map apps. Identify those hospitals that are marked as "top-tier". In large cities, it's best to choose the largest local people's hospital or a university-affiliated hospital. (Chinese text: )

If you need English-language service

For information about the "International Medical Department" or international clinics in major city hospitals, please refer to "Where to Seek English-Speaking Services". For specific recommendations on which hospital to visit in a particular city, you can find a list of hospitals by city at the top of this page.

This list covers 10 cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen.

How to get to the hospital

Use the map app to enter your destination for navigation. Taxi and ride-hailing drivers should be able to recognize Chinese names of hospitals on the map. Show the drivers the names of hospitals on the map.

Don’t worry.

Upon arriving at the hospital, there are guide desks and volunteers available in the outpatient hall to assist you with the next steps. The real challenge is to find the right hospital and know how to make a registration or appointment booking.

See "How to Make a Registration or Appointment Booking" for more details.

• Over-the-counter medications (marked with the OTC symbol on the packaging): No prescription required. You can purchase them directly—this is the official requirement.

• Prescription drugs: It is mandatory to purchase these medications only with a prescription issued by a Chinese doctor, as stipulated by official regulations. The right to prescribe is limited to physicians registered in China.

  Therefore, prescriptions written by foreign doctors cannot be used at pharmacies. The only way to obtain a prescription is through registration and requesting a prescription from a Chinese doctor.

How to find a pharmacy: Use the map app (Amap in English mode) to search for 'pharmacy' or 'store'. For buying medicine at night, look for '24-hour pharmacies'. (Chinese text: “24”) Language barriers: Translate the symptoms using the app, and then present them to the doctor.

• 110 for alarms, 119 for fires, 120 for emergency services (available nationwide, 24 hours a day);

• 12367 National Immigration Administration Service Hotline: Available 24 hours a day. Languages available include English, Russian, Japanese, Korean, etc. Ideal for foreigners seeking assistance with visas, residency matters, and accommodation issues.

• 12345 Citizen Service Hotline (available in some cities for foreign language services);

• Embassy contact information: Please keep the consular protection phone number of your country's embassy or consulate in China before departing.

Tips: If you cannot speak Chinese when reporting a crime/emergency, you can try saying "English please" to get translated (this method works well in large cities, but may not be available in smaller cities).

Alternatively, you can ask the hotel receptionist for help.