Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, has launched the Guangzhou International Medical Tourism Service Center, aiming to develop a globally competitive destination for international medical tourism.
The new centre will collaborate with 17 pilot hospitals across the city to provide international medical services, including authoritative diagnosis and treatment, for foreign patients. It will also engage in international brand marketing, medical agency services, travel arrangements, wellness, and healthcare. This initiative promotes the integration of medical, tourism, and urban service resources, utilising the cultural, commercial, and tourism assets of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Lai Zhihong, vice-mayor of Guangzhou, stated that international medical tourism has become an important growth driver in the global health industry. He noted that demand for medical treatment and healthcare in Guangzhou has continued to grow in recent years, supported by the city’s high-quality medical resources, Lingnan culture, open environment, and status as a transportation hub. Lai urged medical personnel to provide excellent services, expertise, and ethics to help establish Guangzhou as an international consumption hub with high-quality, distinctive medical services.
Official data indicates that inbound passenger visits by foreigners to Guangzhou in 2025 exceeded 3.2 million, with foreign residents’ demand for medical services increasing rapidly.
Innovative Measures and Talent Attraction
Chen Bin, director of the Guangzhou Municipal Health Commission, announced 12 innovative measures to support the development of international medical services. Chen stated, “The new innovative measures will focus on key areas such as building an international medical service brand, optimizing industrial spatial layout, constructing an international medical center, and fostering strengths in specialized medical disciplines and technologies.”
These measures facilitate multisite practice in Guangzhou for foreign doctors and nurses, as well as those from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan. They also support pilot medical institutions in establishing specially appointed positions to recruit high-end international medical talent and attract high-level professionals through multiple channels.
Medical institutions and hospitals are also encouraged to promote traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and establish high-level acupuncture diagnosis and treatment centres to strengthen international services, offering foreign patients featured TCM medical services, Chen added.
Hospital Preparedness and Service Integration
Wang Zilian, vice-president of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, confirmed that the measures provide a strong guarantee for the delivery of efficient and high-quality international medical services. According to Wang, “Based on their existing international medical centers, hospitals will continue to improve their independent diagnosis and treatment environments and multilingual service systems, enhance multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment capabilities, and further provide high-quality medical services to patients from Hong Kong, Macao, Southeast Asia, and countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.”
Wu Chen, general manager of the Guangzhou International Medical Tourism Service Center, explained that the centre integrates Guangzhou’s high-quality medical resources, distinctive cultural tourism assets, and cross-border commercial insurance. This supports the city’s development into an international consumption hub and aims to cultivate new drivers of health consumption.
Wu stated, “The center will focus on strengthening comprehensive service capabilities, promoting integrated industrial development, and expanding global cooperation networks to create a product system that deeply integrates medical care, wellness and tourism in the following months.” The centre will also collaborate with major local hospitals to provide overseas patients with one-stop international medical services, including visa assistance, remote pre-consultation, multilingual translation, travel and accommodation arrangements, and postoperative follow-up.
HTN Analysis
Guangzhou has established the International Medical Tourism Service Center and introduced 12 innovative measures, aiming to formalise and expand its appeal to international patients. The initiative specifically targets the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Southeast Asia, and countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative. The focus on integrating existing high-quality medical resources with cultural and commercial assets suggests a structured approach to capitalising on reported demand, such as the 3.2 million inbound foreign passenger visits in 2025.
While the framework for attracting foreign talent and promoting Traditional Chinese Medicine is outlined, specific funding mechanisms and the timeline for implementing all 12 measures are not detailed. The operational specifics for integrating cross-border commercial insurance and the expected impact on patient volumes or revenue remain unquantified.
What to watch
- Publication of detailed implementation plans or budgets for the 12 innovative measures.
- Announcement of formal agreements with specific cross-border insurance providers.
- Reporting on the number of foreign medical professionals utilising the multisite practice facilitation.
The news signal for this article was referred from: https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202605/08/WS69fd3ceaa310d6866eb4773c.html