South China Medical
Guangdong International Medical Service Pilot · 2026–2027

World-class medicine, without the barrier.

Request a treatment plan Browse the 25 hospitals

Guangdong has opened its leading public hospitals to international patients. We are the team that gets you in — the appointment, the medical records, the interpreter at every consultation, and the bill your insurer will actually accept.

25 Hospitals designated by the provincial government
5 Cities across Guangdong, from the Pearl River Delta to the east coast
20%+ Year-on-year growth in international patients, 2025
76% Rise in inpatient demand from overseas patients, 2025
The policy behind this

In March 2026, Guangdong formally opened its best hospitals to patients from abroad.

The provincial Health Commission, Healthcare Security Administration and Medical Products Administration jointly named a first batch of 25 pilot hospitals for international medical services — a two-year programme running through 2027.

These hospitals now run physically separated international wings, with their own beds, their own teams, and English-speaking coordination. Fees sit outside the public insurance scheme, which is precisely what allows them to offer shorter waits, private rooms and direct billing with international insurers.

What the policy does not remove is the difficulty of actually navigating it: which hospital treats your condition, who answers the phone in your language, how your records are read, and how the invoice reaches your insurer. That is the part we handle.

See how we work
Morning light falling across a subtropical garden terrace, with banana leaves and a still reflecting pool.
Five cities in Guangdong

Three weeks in a city you have never visited, in a language you do not read.

Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan and Shantou. We plan the whole stay, not only the appointment: the hospital days, the hotel between them, the interpreter who walks in with you, and the long afternoons that are left over.

What we do

Everything except the medicine.

Your treatment is delivered by hospital physicians. We take responsibility for the other forty things that stand between you and that consultation.

Hospital and specialist matching

We read your diagnosis, identify the two or three hospitals in the pilot programme that genuinely lead in that condition, and secure an appointment with the right department — not merely the first available one.

Medical records, translated and structured

Imaging, pathology, operative notes and medication history are translated and reformatted into the form Chinese specialists expect. Poorly prepared records are the single most common reason a consultation goes nowhere.

Interpretation at every appointment

A medical interpreter accompanies you in person from registration through consultation, imaging and discharge — the same person each visit, so nothing has to be re-explained.

Second opinions, properly framed

If you already have a diagnosis or a proposed operation abroad, we put a written set of questions to the Chinese specialist and return their reasoning in English — including when they disagree.

Visas, accommodation and transfers

Invitation letters and document checklists for your visa application, a shortlist of accommodation within reach of the hospital, and a driver who knows where the international wing entrance is.

Billing, insurance and follow-up

Cost estimates before you commit, itemised invoices your insurer will recognise, help with direct-billing hospitals, and translated discharge summaries sent to your doctor at home.

We are not a medical provider. South China Medical is a patient-facilitation service. We do not diagnose, prescribe, or perform procedures, and we do not charge for medical care. All clinical decisions and treatment are delivered by the hospital and its licensed physicians, and all medical fees are paid to the hospital directly.
The receiving hospitals

Twenty-five institutions. One shortlist that fits you.

Every hospital below is on the provincial pilot list. They are not interchangeable — each carries a distinct clinical identity. Here are six that international patients most often travel for.

Guangzhou Comprehensive

Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital

广东省人民医院
CardiologyOncologyOrgan Transplant
Shenzhen Comprehensive

The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital

香港大学深圳医院
Insurance Direct BillingHong Kong Standards
Guangzhou Specialist

Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center

中山大学肿瘤防治中心
Radiation OncologyNasopharyngeal
Guangzhou Specialist

Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center

中山大学中山眼科中心
CataractRetinaRefractive
Guangzhou Comprehensive

The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University

广州医科大学附属第一医院
RespiratoryThoracic Surgery
Guangzhou Chinese Medicine

Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine

广东省中医院
AcupunctureTuinaIntegrative
View all 25 hospitals
How it works

Five steps, and we are present for all of them.

From the first message to the follow-up call after you land back home, you deal with one coordinator who knows your file — not a call centre.

Full process and timelines

Send us your case

A short form and your existing records. If you have no diagnosis yet, tell us the symptoms instead.

10 minutes

We shortlist and quote

A written recommendation of one to three hospitals, the likely department, an indicative medical cost range and our service fee, calculated on our published banded schedule.

1–2 business days

Confirm and schedule

We secure the appointment, issue your visa support documents and confirm accommodation and transfers.

3–10 business days

Arrive and be accompanied

Airport pickup, registration handled before you arrive, and your interpreter beside you at every appointment.

On the ground

Discharge and handover

Translated discharge summary, itemised invoice for your insurer, medication schedule, and a call with your doctor at home if you wish.

Within 5 days
Where these hospitals are strongest

Conditions patients travel to Guangdong for.

High surgical volume matters. For several of these specialties, Guangdong centres see more cases in a year than most European centres see in a decade — and outcomes track experience.

01

Oncology

Radiation therapy, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, thoracic and GI tumours, second opinions.

 02

Cardiology

Coronary intervention, structural heart, arrhythmia ablation, cardiac surgery.

 03

Ophthalmology

Cataract, refractive surgery, retina, cornea, paediatric eye conditions.

 04

Orthopaedics

Joint replacement, spine, sports injury, trauma reconstruction.

 05

Fertility & IVF

Reproductive assessment, IVF cycles, recurrent implantation failure.

 06

Paediatrics

Neonatal surgery, complex congenital conditions, rare paediatric disease.

 07

Chinese Medicine

Acupuncture, tuina, chronic pain, post-stroke rehabilitation, integrative care.

 08

Health Screening

Executive assessment, cancer screening, cardiac and metabolic workup.
Why patients choose to come

The waiting list is the treatment.

In several systems, the gap between diagnosis and surgery is measured in months. Here, a scheduled elective procedure is often completed within weeks of the first enquiry — and the price is known in advance.

  • Physically separate international wings. Dedicated beds, theatres access, and teams — required by the pilot rules, not a marketing claim.
  • Published fees, paid to the hospital. International services are self-pay or insurer-paid, priced transparently and quoted before treatment.
  • Access to Hong Kong-registered medicines. Under the Greater Bay Area drug and device scheme, 153 urgently needed medicines and devices are approved for use at designated sites.
  • Chinese medicine where it is actually practised. Lingnan herbal tradition, acupuncture and integrative oncology alongside conventional care.
  • Direct billing with major insurers. Some pilot hospitals settle directly with more than thirty domestic and international insurers.

"Patients do not fail to get care because the medicine is unavailable. They fail because nobody translated the system for them."

— Our operating premise
Our fees

20% / 12% / 8% of medical costs — USD 500 min, USD 8,000 max.

We charge for coordination, never for care. Our fee is 20% of the hospital’s charges up to USD 10,000, 12% of the portion from USD 10,000 to USD 30,000 and 8% above that — never less than USD 500 or more than USD 8,000 per case — confirmed in writing before you pay. Medical costs are set by the hospital and paid to the hospital.

Consultation only

Second opinion

Records translation, written specialist review and a translated response. No travel required.

From USD 500

Enquire
Most requested

Outpatient visit

Hospital matching, appointment, records, interpreter and ground coordination for a full diagnostic visit.

20% / 12% / 8% banded

Enquire
Inpatient

Surgery journey

End-to-end coordination across admission, surgery, discharge and handover to your doctor at home.

20% / 12% / 8% banded

Full fee schedule

The banded fee is a provisional published rate, calculated on the hospital’s total medical charges and invoiced separately from them. It is confirmed in writing in your quotation before any payment. Nothing is payable until you approve a written plan. The fee is never less than USD 500 and never more than USD 8,000 per case.

Start here

Tell us the diagnosis. We will tell you where it is best treated.

A written recommendation within two business days, with no obligation and no cost until you decide to proceed.

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