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Health Care in Northeast China 2023

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lrai

This is just some general info based on my own recent experience with the health care system in China.


In January 2023 I was diagnosed with walking pneumonia and it was very serious.  The doctor wanted me to go into the hospital but as a foreigner without any local language that would not be a good option.  Instead I opted to treat myself at home.


The hospitals in China are very different from US hospitals as many of the services which we expect are not common here.  Hospitals in China only provide minimal care.  You must have family or someone who can be with you (it is expected).  That other person has to speak Chinese in order for the staff to communicate with you (unless your Chinese is fluent and you can speak in medical terms this is a must).  Also, food, isn't provided (you can request meals but unless you're a fan of Chinese food that may not be a good option).  You will also need to take care of yourself.  Nurses only come to take vital signs and change out IVs, that's it.


My pneumonia was doing better however I developed a thrombosis b/c I had spent two weeks in bed.  Now I had a very serious problem and this time I had to be hospitalized.  As a foreigner you can get medical attention here and if you are in a fairly modern city the care is good.  I was taken to a brand new hospital however it was not set-up to take foreign patients.  I have several good "friends" and so with their help I was admitted due to the seriousness of my problem.  I would spend two weeks in the hospital and without the help of some very good friends that wouldn't have been feasible.  I needed someone with me 24/7 for the first week and by the 2nd week I only needed someone from 6am to 6pm as I was able to finally get out of bed to go to the W/C only. 


I had really good care and b/c the facility was brand new everything was clean and modern.  However, I had to get my own medications and I was responsible for taking them on a set schedule.  I was lucky b/c I did not have to have any IVs but I did have blood tests and daily the nurses would check my vitals.  I had some other tests as well.  In the end b/c I don't have any insurance I had to pay all the bills however it was very reasonable.  My hospital bill without meds was about $750 USD for two weeks and that included the tests.  My meds were about the same amount.  I have to say if I had done this in the US I would be looking at closer to $30K of medical expenses. 


I can't speak to all conditions but my experience with medical in China has been very positive.  I share this so others can have some idea of what to expect.  Hope this helps. 

aroliver1993

Glad to hear you're on the up and up. Pneumonia can be a scary thing to have, let alone the issues you had afterwards.


In general, it seems that the quality of medical care in China is overall improving. I live in a small town, and all the care I've received here has been just as good (sometimes better) than the care I received while living in Chengdu, be it at a clinic or a legit hopital.


Regarding your situation needing people to accompany you during your stay in the hospital - I think this should be a cautionary tale for those either planning to come here or those who already live here: learn Chinese! It's taken me about three years of busting my *ss studying hard, but my Chinese is now good enough to be able to go to hospitals by myself. It's absolutely worth the work you put in if you plan on staying here longer than a year. Worth noting that it would probably have taken me double the time to reach this level of proficiency if I wasn't actually in China. If you're here, take advantage of the opportunity for immersion and actually learn the language. You will be glad you did!

lrai

ok you make a very good point.  I have tried to learn and I have some Chinese ability but thankfully I have a great boss and wonderful Chinese staff who consider me "family" so they took very good care of me.  If you can't learn the language you need to at least establish a good support base if you plan to stay long term

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