About
About China Medical Guide
What this site is
An independent, English-language guide to how the Chinese healthcare system works in practice — the administrative side of it, which is where foreign patients and visitors lose the most time and money.
It exists because the information gap is real. The medicine in Chinese public hospitals is not the problem. Finding the right counter, understanding what registration means, paying without a Chinese bank account, and explaining your symptoms to someone who does not speak English — that is the problem.
Who writes it
How the content is researched
Every process described here is written to be verified, not assumed. The rules we set for ourselves:
- Process over opinion. We describe how things work. We do not rank hospitals, recommend doctors or comment on quality of care.
- No medical advice. We do not diagnose, do not interpret symptoms, and do not suggest treatments.
- Sources over memory. Anything time-sensitive — visa rules, procedures, payment methods — should trace to an official source or direct confirmation from the hospital. If a claim cannot be sourced, it gets removed rather than softened.
- Dated, and reviewed. Every page carries the date it was last reviewed, because Chinese hospital procedures change.
- Corrections are published. If you find an error, report it and it gets fixed — not quietly deleted.
Medical disclaimer
China Medical Guide does not provide medical advice, medical services or medical care.
The content on this site is general information about healthcare administration. It is not a diagnosis, not a treatment recommendation, not a second opinion, and not a substitute for consultation with a qualified clinician who has examined you.
Nothing on this site should be used to delay, avoid or replace seeking professional medical attention. If you have a medical concern, see a doctor. If it is urgent, go to the nearest hospital emergency department (急诊) or call 120.
We do not endorse, and are not affiliated with, any hospital, clinic, doctor, pharmacy, insurer or medical provider mentioned on this site. No payment is accepted in exchange for coverage or placement of any kind.
Descriptions of procedures, fees, opening processes and regulations may become out of date and differ between cities and individual hospitals. Always confirm details directly with the hospital or the relevant authority before relying on them.
Privacy
This site does not collect health information. There is no account system, no appointment form, no enquiry form, no comment field and no newsletter. We do not ask for your name, your passport details, your symptoms, your medical records or your contact details, and we have nowhere to store them if you sent them.
Analytics. We may use aggregate, anonymous visitor statistics — which pages are read, roughly which country visitors come from. These contain no medical information and are not linked to any individual.
Links and third parties. Where this site links to another website or to a translation tool, that service has its own privacy policy and its own data practices, which we do not control. If you paste medical text into a translation tool, that text leaves your device — consider whether you are comfortable with that before you do it.
What we cannot do. Because we do not collect personal data, we cannot retrieve or delete data about you, and we cannot provide medical records or results. Those requests must go to the hospital that treated you.
Corrections and contact
If something here is wrong, out of date, or missing, email hello@chinadoctorguide.com. Please include the page and, if you have it, the source that contradicts it. Corrections with a source get priority.
Last reviewed 2026-09-14.