Chengdu

date：2025-07-02 Category：Popular cities

Chengdu Medical Tourism

In recent years, the cross-border model of “medical+tourism” has emerged globally as a new engine of the health economy. As a western medical center and a national center city, Chengdu is accelerating the construction of an “international medical tourism destination” by virtue of its profound medical heritage, high-quality ecological environment and open policy environment, attracting tourists from all over the world to come here “for health”.

the whole chain of supporting:

The core competitiveness of medical tourism lies not only in medical technology, but also in the service capability of “treatment + life”. The supporting facilities in Chengdu have formed a “three-dimensional network”, covering transportation, accommodation, cultural experience and other dimensions.

1. Convenience of transportation: Chengdu is the “Fourth City of Aviation”, with Shuangliu International Airport and Tianfu International Airport constituting a “double hub”, and more than 130 international (regional) air routes covering major cities in Asia as well as some European and American air routes; high-speed rail network connecting the whole country, and a 4-hour economic circle covering 23 provinces. The 4-hour economic circle covers 23 provincial capital cities, which is convenient for domestic patients to arrive quickly.

2. Exclusive medical services: a number of hospitals have set up “international medical department”, equipped with multi-language guidance, cross-border medical insurance settlement, remote consultation and other services; some organizations also provide “treatment + rehabilitation” integrated package, such as post-operative patients can choose to support the well-being of the hotel For example, after surgery, patients can choose to stay in a wellness hotel, where they can receive traditional Chinese medicine physiotherapy and nutritional dietary management.

3. Life and leisure support: Chengdu's “medical + tourism” gene is naturally integrated - after treatment, patients can visit Dujiangyan, Mount Qingcheng and other world heritage sites nearby, or experience Sichuan and Sichuan culture in the wide and narrow alleys, Jinli; high-end medical centers gathered around the Luhu The high-end medical center is surrounded by Luhu Eco-city, Antiman and other recreational communities, as well as Michelin restaurants and boutique bed and breakfasts, to meet the diversified needs of “healing body and mind”.

Specialized treatment:

Chengdu's medical tourism is labeled as “differentiated”, with the wisdom of traditional Chinese medicine inherited for thousands of years, as well as international cutting-edge modern medical technology, forming a characteristic system of “synergy between Chinese and Western medicine”.

1. TCM health care: non-heritage level “cure the future disease” program

As the “hometown of Chinese medicine”, Chengdu is a national leader in Chinese medicine resources. The Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Sichuan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine) is a national clinical research base for TCM, and its techniques of acupuncture, tuina, and Chinese medicinal preparations are internationally renowned. For the needs of chronic fatigue, sub-health, gynecological conditioning, the hospital launched the “Chinese medicine physical examination + customized poultices + medicinal diet” package, combined with the concept of Taoist health care in Mount Qingcheng, to create an “immersive” Chinese medicine experience. For example, overseas tourists can relieve arthritis through “acupuncture + moxibustion” and realize “natural healing” by taking baths with local herbs such as chuanxiong rhizome and eucommia.

2. Modern medicine: “hardcore strength” in specialized fields

Chengdu's Western medicine is also at the top of its game in the fields of tumor treatment, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and organ transplants. West China Hospital of Sichuan University has been ranked second in the overall ranking of Chinese hospitals for 13 consecutive years (Fudan edition), and its oncology center carries out proton therapy, immunotherapy and other international cutting-edge technologies; the cardiac and vascular surgical team of the Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital has a success rate of the southwest in the field of surgery for complex congenital heart disease. In addition, Chengdu's medical and aesthetic industry is well developed, and head institutions such as Hwa Han and Yixing provide personalized plastic surgery and skin management programs, attracting a large number of Southeast Asian beauty seekers.

3. Specialty: “small but fine” differentiation advantage

In addition to general hospitals, Chengdu has also seen the emergence of a number of specialty “single champion”. For example, Chengdu Primary Eye Hospital is the demonstration base of femtosecond laser myopia correction in China, attracting Japanese and Korean patients to come here; Chengdu Sinan Women's Hospital has mature technology in the field of assisted reproduction, providing the whole process of “in vitro fertilization + pregnancy and childbirth management”; Chengdu Gu Lian Rehabilitation Hospital focuses on neurological and orthopaedic rehabilitation, cooperates with international rehabilitation institutions, and introduces robot-assisted training. It cooperates with international rehabilitation organizations and introduces intelligent equipment such as robot-assisted training.

Recommended hospitals:

Chengdu's medical tourism resources are highly concentrated in high-quality medical institutions, and the following institutions have become popular choices because of their outstanding technology and services in line with international standards:

1. West China Hospital of Sichuan University (International Medical Department): As “China's medical hall”, its international department provides multidisciplinary joint consultation (MDT), covering the fields of oncology, rare diseases, critical care emergency, etc., equipped with bilingual health care team and direct payment service of overseas medical insurance, which serves more than 10,000 times of expatriate patients annually.

2. The Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (International Medical Center): With “internationalization of Chinese medicine” as its core, the hospital has opened an international outpatient clinic for acupuncture and massage, a workshop for experience in the preparation of traditional Chinese medicines, and has cooperated with the Harvard Medical School and the University of Chiang Mai in Thailand to carry out research on traditional Chinese medicine, making it the preferred place for overseas tourists to experience “Oriental medicine”. It is the first choice for overseas tourists to experience “Oriental Medicine”.

3. Chengdu BOE Hospital (High-end Medical Center): as the largest private tertiary general hospital in Southwest China, its international medical center focuses on precision tumor treatment, high-end physical examination and rehabilitation, introduces da Vinci surgical robots, PET-MR and other cutting-edge equipments, and provides “private doctor + overseas referral” services.

4. Chengdu Aier Eye Hospital (International Refractive Center): Relying on the advantages of the Group's global chain, the hospital provides one-stop service of “myopia correction + post-operative overseas review” for foreign patients, and has an outstanding reputation in the Middle East and Southeast Asian markets.

Core Advantages:

Compared with traditional medical tourism destinations (e.g. Japan and Switzerland), Chengdu's advantage lies in the combination of “high cost-effectiveness” and “ecological healing”.

1. Advantage of medical cost: the overall medical fee in Chengdu is about 70% of that in Beijing and 80% of that in Shanghai, and some of the items (e.g. Chinese medicine physical therapy and routine medical checkups) are only 1/2 of that in Southeast Asian countries, e.g. a general medical checkup in West China Hospital (including tumor screening) costs about RMB 2,000, while the same kind of service in Singapore costs more than RMB 5,000.

2. Synchronization of technology and equipment: Chengdu's tertiary hospitals are generally equipped with first-class international equipment (such as proton therapy systems, da Vinci surgical robots), and some of the technologies (such as organ transplants, genetic testing) have reached the international leading level, so patients do not need to travel across the seas and oceans to enjoy top-notch health care services.

3. Ecological healing environment: Chengdu Plain has a temperate climate with more than 300 days of good air quality; the surrounding Qingcheng Mountain, Xiling Snow Mountain and other scenic spots have a high concentration of negative oxygen ions, which is naturally suitable for post-operative rehabilitation and chronic disease management. Many patients choose to stay in Dujiangyan's “medical spa hotel” during the treatment period to accelerate recovery through spa treatment.

Policy Escort: From “Pilot” to “Benchmark” on the Road to Progress

The rapid development of medical tourism in Chengdu cannot be separated from the strong support at the policy level. In recent years, Chengdu has issued the “Chengdu City” 14th Five-Year Plan for Health and Wellness“, ”Implementation Opinions on Promoting the Development of International Medical Tourism“ and other documents, making clear the goal of ”building an international medical tourism center in the west", and launching a series of innovative initiatives:

1. Construction of an advanced international medical tourism zone: planning an international medical tourism cluster in Chengdu Tianfu International Bio-city and Dujiangyan-Qingchengshan Area, allowing foreign capital to set up medical institutions, simplifying the approval of short-term practice of physicians, and attracting international brands such as Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Medical Center to set up in Chengdu.

2. Cross-border medical insurance settlement facilitation: Promote the signing of mutual recognition agreements on medical insurance between Chengdu and Singapore, Thailand and other countries, support the West China Hospital, the Provincial People's Hospital and other institutions to access the international medical insurance system, foreign patients can directly brush the medical insurance card settlement.

3. Talent and technology introduction: the implementation of the “Rongbei” health talent program, the top international medical experts to give up to 5 million yuan settlement subsidies; encourage local hospitals and overseas institutions to build joint laboratories, promote Chinese medicine, oncology and other areas of technology export.

4. “Medical + Tourism” integrated development: medical tourism into the “Tianfu Tourism County” assessment system, support scenic spots and hospitals to cooperate in the development of “health tourism lines”, such as “Dujiangyan-Qingcheng Mountain TCM health tour”, “West China Hospital Science and Technology Experience Tour”, etc., forming a “treatment + sightseeing” composite products.

Summary: From “Health Capital” to “Global Healing Destination”

Chengdu's medical tourism is not only the export of medical technology, but also the dissemination of lifestyle. When “watching pandas and eating hot pot” meets “seeing traditional Chinese medicine and doing medical checkups”, the city's ‘fireworks’ and “sense of science and technology” intertwine, providing the global medical tourism industry with a unique opportunity. The city's “fireworks” and “sense of technology” are intertwined, providing unique health solutions for global tourists. With the continued release of policy dividends and the deepening of international cooperation, Chengdu is expected to become another globally influential medical tourism benchmark city in western China after Boao in Hainan.

In the future, the story of Chengdu, “Traveling for Health”, will be written with more possibilities.