Guangzhou opens a service center with plans to link 17 hospitals for international care

Guangzhou has launched its International Medical Tourism Service Center, with plans to work with 17 pilot hospitals on services for overseas patients. A Guangdong Foreign Affairs Office report dated May 9, 2026 sets out the center’s proposed role, from arranging care to coordinating travel and recovery support.

From pre-visit discussions to follow-up

Center general manager Wu Chen said it would work with major local hospitals on one-stop services covering visa assistance, remote pre-consultation, multilingual interpretation, transport and accommodation, and postoperative follow-up. The announced scope links preparations before arrival with assistance during the stay and after surgery.

The center also plans medical agency services and travel arrangements, drawing on the Greater Bay Area’s cultural, commercial and tourism resources. Its collaboration with the 17 pilot hospitals is intended to connect this practical support with diagnosis and treatment. These are the service plans presented at the center’s launch, rather than a report that every component is already operating.

Hospital services and specialist teams

Guangzhou Health Commission director Chen Bin outlined 12 measures for international medical services. They address building an international medical service brand, its geographic organization, an international medical center, and specialized disciplines and technologies.

The measures facilitate practice at multiple sites for foreign doctors and nurses and professionals from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. They also support pilot institutions in creating specially appointed positions to recruit international medical talent. Hospitals are encouraged to develop traditional Chinese medicine services and acupuncture diagnosis and treatment centers for foreign patients.

Wang Zilian, vice-president of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, said hospitals would build on their existing international centers to improve separate clinical environments, multilingual services and multidisciplinary care. She named patients from Hong Kong, Macao, Southeast Asia and Belt and Road countries among the groups these improvements aim to serve.

Connecting medical and travel arrangements

Wu said the center would integrate medical resources, cultural tourism and cross-border commercial insurance. Its next-months agenda included developing combined medical, wellness and tourism products and expanding international cooperation. Insurance integration was part of that agenda; the article did not announce specific covered policies.

Guangzhou recorded more than 3.2 million inbound visits by foreigners in 2025. That is an arrival figure, not a count of medical patients. The new center is being developed against this broader demand for city services, with hospital care, communication and travel support brought into one coordination program.