Introduction
Being confronted with navigating an unfamiliar healthcare system can be challenging - especially if you don't speak the language and you cannot expect that doctors will speak English. Before we visited China, our friends and family had many concerns regarding what would happen if Hanna or Nina get sick. Unluckily for us, we had to test that "what if". Luckily, China has great healthcare system and they helped Hanna in no time.
In case you are worried about taking your kids to China because of the healthcare concerns, here is what you can expect based on our experience!
Waiting for treatment in a hospital in Lhasa, Tibet
What to expect
Chinese healthcare system is publicly owned and accessible to anyone living in China free of charge.
As a traveller, you would have to fill out all the necessary forms and pay up front (which you can later claim from your insurance). Unless you are in need of serious treatments, the cost should be insignificant.
We paid probably around 100-150$ for 2 doctor checkups, blood test, oxygen treatment, 3 hydration drips and all medications.
Most doctors probably won't speak English, unless you are in Shanghai or Beijing, but you can be sure that if there is anyone available who does speak English, they will be eager to help you.
Here is everything you need to know written in English. Although targeted at expats, it contains detailed informations about the procedure to follow, and having read through it, it matches our own experience of the hospital in Lhasa.
Our experience with the Chinese hospital
We were in the middle of our stay in Tibet, when our older daughter Hanna was suddenly struck by a stubborn fever. After few days of the temperature spikes about her health, we decided to seek medical attention at a local hospital. Luckily, we had a guide who could assist us with translation, so we didn't have to worry about the language that much.
Despite our initial apprehensions, everything ran smoothly. In the West you are often made believe that everything that is publicly owned is inefficient, but we have experienced complete opposite of that.
After completing necessary paperwork and a brief wait, we were able to see a doctor. The physician conducted the examination that included a blood test and diagnosed Hanna with a viral infection. She prescribed a treatment that consisted of medications for sore throat and fever and supplementary treatments - oxygen inhalation (probably a standard at high altitude) and hydration drips.
Medicines maybe weren't that kids-friendly - no peach flavoured syrop or anything of that kind - but they sure worked. After 3 days of treatment she recovered completely, and already after the first day she seemed to be much better. The hydration helped to elevate her mood and brought the appetite back.
The cost of treatment was nothing compared to what we are used to - for the price of everything we paid we wouldn't even be able to get a doctor's appointment back at home. I think we probably paid around $100 for EVERYTHING. It is worth remembering that for Chinese residents healthcare is free of charge.
Conclusion
Based on our experience, public healthcare system as it is implemented in China works efficiently and you don't have to be worried about what happens when you get sick during traveling. Even in one of the poorer provinces like Tibet, everything runs without issues - I am sure that in places like Beijing or Shanghai your experience would be even better.
The only thing you need to be aware is that probably very few doctors would speak English, but that should not be a problem given the number of live translation apps available on the market.
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