Shanghai has vowed to give more support to international medicine and introduce more favorable and innovative policies.
This is intended to streamline the development of international medical service, medical tourism, health reforms and trials such as the establishment of wholly foreign-owned hospitals, the introduction of high-end international medical brands and the recognition of international commercial insurance.
Policies and measures to assist expatriate patients are highlighted. These include more convenient processes for foreign patients' visas, more convenient payment methods, bilingual services for the local registration platform. Local hospitals are also encouraged to set up English versions of their website and improve a reservation system in line with international practice.
Hospitals are encouraged to offer service in multiple languages and medical documents with different languages as well as service coordination mechanism for international patients.

Dr Lily Zhou checks a patient from New Zealand with lymphoma. The patient is cancer free in the latest check.
Shanghai supports the building of a comprehensive international medical system covering outpatient and emergency service, hospitalization, health check-up, vaccination, health management and traditional Chinese medicine.
The combination of general and specialty service is encouraged as well as a whole-life management and health-care models to meet patients' individualized and diversified demands, said the government, while releasing guidelines to support the innovative development of Shanghai's international medicine.
Hospitals are supported to promote and carry out their prestigious service and practices. High-end services such as CAR-T cell therapy, particle radiation therapy as well as adoption of innovative technology and medical equipment are specially encouraged.

The New Zealand patient (left), who came to Shanghai for a follow-up check, travels in Shanghai and nearby provinces with sons and friends. The check last month confirms he is cancer-free.
According to the Shanghai Health Commission, developing international medical tourism has become an important strategy to build Shanghai into an international metropolis, attracting high-end talent, bettering local business environment and enhancing the city's high-quality development.
As a trial, the commission has designated 13 leading public hospitals and 20 private hospitals as pilot facilities. These especially public ones, have outstanding medical capabilities, innovative needs, and foreign service experiences to step up efforts in offering international medical tourism products and streamlined health services.
With various effects, local hospitals have seen a rise of international patients.
The international medical department of all the 13 public hospitals offered 133,900 outpatient and emergency services as well as 8,700 hospitalized services in the first quarter of last year, rising by 31 percent and 28 percent respectively compared with the same period in 2023. The commercial insurance settlement also rose significantly.
In the second quarter, they offered 162,900 outpatient, emergency and hospitalized services,15 percent more than the previous quarter.

Shanghai is not only a destination for medical tourism but also tourism.
Dr Lily Zhou from Shanghai SinoUnited Hosptial hailed the policy, saying Shanghai has become a leading medical center for CAR-T cell immunotherapy, which has attracted multiple overseas patients to the city.
"Since carrying out CAR-T therapy mid last year, our hospital has received nearly 10 overseas patients, who came all the way to Shanghai for the high-end treatment and another 10-or so patients have finished consultation and are waiting for the treatment," she said.
"All patients with CAR-T have reported a good response under our individualized and delicate treatment."
CAR-T, or chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy, is specifically developed for each patient by reprogramming the patient's own immune cells to target their cancer. It is a complicated treatment requiring close monitoring and multidisciplinary professionals during patient selection, bridging treatment, side effect control, and symptom management.
"Shanghai has its unique advantage in CAR-T," Zhou said.
"So far there are six CAR-T options available in China, covering all major targets for various blood diseases, and four are developed or produced in Shanghai.
"While providing high-quality service and medication, the price in Shanghai is less than one fifth of that in developed countries.
"Most of our overseas patients came to Shanghai for the first time, just for the treatment, which means Shanghai has become an attraction for international medical tourism."

Dr Zhou Xingtao, president of Fudan University's Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital, said the hospital has become the top medical center for myopia surgery in the world, attracting expatriate patients for treatment and foreign doctors for training.
Hospitals are attracting international patients because of their high-end service and skills.
Renji Hospital said its liver surgery department has been ranked No. 1 in the world for 11 consecutive years. The one-year survival rate is 94 percent and five-year survival rate 91 percent.
Now, the hospital is the world's biggest children's liver transplant medical center, attracting international patients for treatment and doctors and nurses from the US, UK, Belgium, Finland, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Malaysia for training, its president Xia Qiang said.
Fudan University's Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital, one of the biggest myopia laser surgery center in the world, said it has fulfilled more than 260,000 laser-assisted myopia surgeries and many of patients are expatriates.
Moreover, the hospital is also the world's No.1 hospital in term of quantity of implantable collamer lens (ICL) surgery, an alternative to people who do not meet the criteria for LASIK surgery.
Behind the data, it is our strict quality control and patient-centered care from pre-surgery check, surgery plan designing, high-end surgery and long-term management, said Dr Zhou Xingtao, president of the hospital.
It has launched rounds of training courses from medical officials from Asian-Pacific region.

A doctor from Shanghai Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine offers tuina on a patient at the China-Mauritius Center for TCM.
Traditional Chinese medicine is also highlighted as haipai (Shanghai-style) TCM is a name card in Shanghai's international medical service, which has attracted many expatriate patients.
TCM has strong advantages in the treatment of chronic disease, geriatric disease, and complicated disease. The city is building itself an international TCM clinical center by carrying out acupuncture, moxibustion, tuina, scrapping, cupping, TCM fumigation and TCM exercises.
The guidelines also encourage local high-end TCM hospitals to set up medical centers overseas.
Officials from Shanghai Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine said the hospital has been actively involved in international medical cooperation. It teamed with local TCM pharmaceutical companies to set up a China-Mauritius Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine to promote the overseas development of TCM in 2019, receiving a warm welcome from local patients.

Dr Zhou Jia (right) in a surgery with acupuncture anesthesia.
The hospital said it is also promoting an innovative technology by combining Western medicine and TCM into acupuncture anesthesia for surgery. This reduces the use of chemical anesthesia for quicker recoveries and benefit patients, who are unable to sustain ordinary anesthesia.
"This technology has been broadcast by the BBC and has been recognized by WHO," said Dr Zhou Jia from Yueyang.
The hospital teamed up with 68 medical facilities to set up a national acupuncture anesthesia clinical research alliance in Shanghai to boost and promote the technology in order to enhance clinical research and effects as well as providing patients safer and more effective treatment.
This technology is extremely useful for patients, who are too sick or too old or have an allergy to normal anesthesia. There have been international patients coming all the way for the technology with a satisfactory result, Yueyang officials said.
Source: Shanghai Daily