Lecheng opens a one-stop center to coordinate international medical travel

Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone in Qionghai, Hainan, has launched a one-stop services center for international patients, according to a provincial government report published on June 3, 2026. The center is intended to connect treatment arrangements with the practical work of traveling to another country and moving between institutions.

Coordination across more than 40 institutions

The center is intended to coordinate more than 40 medical institutions in the zone. Its stated role includes cross-agency coordination, real-time information sharing and patient referrals.

The reported support covers visa assistance, cross-border transfer coordination, recovery care and cultural tourism. A foreign-language hotline and an international visitor management platform support the service. Lecheng also introduced a service-officer system, assigning dedicated staff to accompany each foreign patient through the related arrangements.

A reported visit for cancer treatment

The article gives a specific example of an overseas medical visit shortly before the center’s launch. On May 18, a 34-year-old Russian university professor received boron neutron capture therapy, or BNCT, in Lecheng. The source describes it as a precision cancer treatment targeting malignant tumors. He then spent several days visiting Qionghai.

The report does not give the final outcome of this treatment.

Language support and the scale of reception

Hainan Mellsser Hospital, one institution discussed in the report, said its multilingual staff cover English, Japanese, Thai and Arabic. The hospital also mentioned partnerships with international institutions including Mayo Clinic and Cedars-Sinai. The language information concerns this hospital’s own staff.

Lecheng recorded nearly 10,000 overseas medical trips in 2025, with visitors from 14 countries and regions, including Russia, Canada and the Middle East. From January through April 2026, total medical-tourism visits approached 500,000, of which more than 4,000 were from overseas. The total and overseas figures describe different groups.

At the time of reporting, the zone had introduced 570 innovative medicines and medical devices, benefiting nearly 280,000 patients under its special policy framework. Jin Jiabin, deputy director of Ruijin Hospital’s Hainan Branch, highlighted patient convenience and nearby facilities as important elements of treatment and a recovery environment.

Officials also outlined future packages linking traditional Chinese medicine, beach holidays and cultural experiences with nearby areas. Those packages remained development plans, while the new center and its coordination role were the service announced.