On 26 March 2026, the Guangdong Provincial Health Commission, the provincial Healthcare Security Administration and the provincial Medical Products Administration jointly announced the first 25 hospitals in a pilot programme for international medical services. The pilot runs from 2026 to 2027.
Who it is for
The programme is designed for residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, foreign nationals and overseas Chinese, as well as other patients who pay for care themselves or hold international commercial health insurance.
Key rules
- Self-pay or commercial insurance only. Costs are not covered by China's basic medical insurance.
- Hospitals set their own prices for international services.
- Separate service areas. International services run in dedicated areas with their own beds and service teams, physically separated from regular care.
- Regular patients come first. Specialists can only see international patients after fully covering their regular outpatient clinics.
- Ongoing review. The authorities will evaluate the hospitals regularly and can remove or add hospitals.
The 25 pilot hospitals
The list, as published, includes major provincial and university hospitals mainly in the Pearl River Delta, for example Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, the Hospital of Stomatology of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen People's Hospital, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital and The University of Hong Kong–Shenzhen Hospital, plus two private hospitals. See the sources below for the full list.
Why it matters
According to the Guangdong Provincial Health Commission, the number of foreign nationals seeking treatment in Guangdong in 2025 rose by more than 20% year on year, and demand for inpatient care rose by 76.05%. The pilot is intended to give these patients clearer pricing, dedicated services and capacity that does not compete with local patients.
For patients from Southeast Asia and the Middle East, Guangzhou and Shenzhen are already convenient gateways. This pilot adds hospitals that are officially set up to receive international patients.