Shanghai's Public-Hospital Medical Tourism Pilot: 13 Designated Hospitals and Two Years of Progress

Shanghai is one of the first cities in mainland China to serve patients from abroad. Since the 1980s, Huashan Hospital, Zhongshan Hospital, Ruijin Hospital, Huadong Hospital and Shanghai General Hospital have been receiving international patients. In 2020 the city first selected 10 pilot institutions and 10 seed institutions among private and social-medical providers.

In September 2023 the pilot was extended to high-level public hospitals. Thirteen tertiary general and specialty hospitals with existing international medical capacity were selected, and were formally designated at a progress review meeting on 19 September 2024.

The 13 designated hospitals

1. Huashan Hospital, Fudan University
2. Children's Hospital of Fudan University
3. Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
4. Shanghai General Hospital
5. Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University
6. Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
7. Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine
8. International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, China Welfare Institute
9. Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
10. Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital
11. Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital
12. Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
13. Huadong Hospital

What has changed over two years

Progress ran on two tracks — facilities and services. On the facilities side, Zhongshan Hospital built a relatively independent outpatient information system for its international department; Ruijin Hospital opened an intensive care unit within its international department; Renji Hospital opened an international medical outpatient clinic at its North Campus; and Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital completed an expansion of its international outpatient area.

On the service side, hospitals introduced in-clinic settlement with commercial insurers, foreign-currency exchange on the ward, on-campus shuttle transfers and bedside settlement, and multilingual appointment booking and accompaniment. Xinhua Hospital's international medical department offers one-stop cross-border services covering visa support, settlement and multilingual assistance.

The official figures

According to publicly released figures from Shanghai's progress review:

• Q1 2024: 133,900 outpatient and emergency visits at the 13 pilot hospitals' international medical departments, up 31% year on year
• Q2 2024: 162,900 outpatient and inpatient visits combined, up 22% year on year
• Over the same period, the number of patients settled through commercial insurance rose 30% and the settled amount rose 42%
• Across all public hospitals in the city, 73,200 foreign patients were served in 2025 (67,600 in 2024)

All figures above are interim figures published by the municipal government or official outlets; note the reporting period when citing them.

What this means for international patients

The list and the figures provide a starting point that can be checked rather than taken on trust. Pilot hospitals are institutionally required to handle international patients in dedicated areas with dedicated teams, and to connect commercial insurance at the payment stage.

For patients considering treatment in Shanghai, three questions can be used for an initial shortlist — is the hospital on the pilot list, does it run a separate international medical department, and does it support direct billing with commercial insurers — instead of relying on third-party rankings.

Treatment plans, costs and booking procedures still need to be confirmed directly with the hospital's international medical department.

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Note on figures and medical information. The list and figures in this article are compiled from the Shanghai municipal government portal and official press reports. They are indicative and do not constitute a quotation or a commitment; institutional information changes over time, and the hospital's own publications should be treated as authoritative. Nothing on this site is medical advice — diagnosis and treatment decisions are made by the treating hospital's physicians. Hospital information is compiled from public materials and does not imply partnership or endorsement. To request a correction or removal, email market@medtourlink.com.