Chinese middle class big business for overseas healthcare providers

 18-Jan-17, Caixin

At the Cancer Institute Hospital of JFCR in Tokyo, Chinese nationals account for almost half of all international patients.

Image: Visual China

Japan isn’t the only place where Chinese medical tourists are making their presence felt. Each popular destination has its specialty - from in vitro fertilization in Los Angeles and Bangkok to plastic surgery in Seoul. Like more traditional tourists, outbound Chinese patients are a lucrative opportunity for companies at home and abroad.

The outflow of Chinese patients is helping to raise profits for international medical service providers. Many Chinese medical tourists aren’t fazed by high prices abroad. The average cost of treatment in the U.S. is four times the cost in China. Still, the number of Chinese patients abroad has continued to grow, Mayo Clinic Operations Manager Melissa Goodwin told Caixin.

In 2015, Chinese medical tourists spent a combined USD9.7 bn on treatment fees and travel expenses, according to market information company Global Growth Markets. 

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