How to See a Doctor in China: Hospitals, Pharmacies & Getting Help When You Are Sick

Getting sick on a trip is stressful anywhere. In a country where you can’t read the signs or talk to the person at the front desk, it can feel like a brick wall. The good news is that it isn’t one. China has excellent, inexpensive hospitals, a pharmacy on nearly every corner, and a system that — once you know the two or three steps — actually works smoothly. This page walks you through what to do, in what order, and what to say.

The 30-second answer

• For anything minor — a cold, an upset stomach, a headache, a small cut — go to a pharmacy (药房 yàofáng) first. A pharmacist will recommend something and it costs almost nothing.
• For anything more serious, go to a hospital (医院 yīyuàn). You must register (挂号 guàhào) before seeing a doctor — at a self-service machine or a registration window.
• Pay with Alipay or WeChat Pay, the same as everywhere else. You pay out of pocket and claim on travel insurance when you get home.
• Most public-hospital staff have limited English. Use a translation app, or look for a hospital with an international department (国际部 guójìbù).
• For emergencies call 120, or go straight to any hospital’s emergency department (急诊 jízhěn), which is open around the clock.

First: how sick are you?

China separates care into three levels, and picking the right one saves you hours and money. Start at the bottom.

• Pharmacy (药房 / 药店) — for minor complaints you’d treat at home. Look for the green cross sign; there’s one on almost every street. A pharmacist (not a doctor) can recommend over-the-counter medicine for colds, fevers, upset stomachs, allergies and small wounds. No appointment, no queue, a few yuan. Note that antibiotics and other prescription drugs need a doctor’s prescription — a pharmacy won’t sell them over the counter.
• Community clinic (社区卫生服务中心) — a neighbourhood clinic with a real doctor, for small things that still need a look. Cheap and fast, though rarely any English.
• Hospital (医院) — for anything you’d see a doctor for at home. This is where you go for anything persistent, painful, or worrying.

If you’re not sure how serious it is, the pharmacy is the right first stop: the pharmacist will either hand you something or point you to a hospital.

Choosing a hospital

Not all hospitals are the same, and the one you want depends on your budget and how much English you need.

• Public hospitals (公立医院) — the standard option. The top tier is called 三甲医院 (Grade 3, Class A): these are large, modern teaching hospitals, and they are genuinely excellent — and genuinely cheap. The catch is crowds and language: they are busy, and few staff speak English.
• International departments (国际部 / 特需门诊) — many big public hospitals have a separate international or “special-needs” wing where the doctors speak English. It costs more than the standard clinic (a consultation runs a few hundred yuan) but far less than a private international clinic, and you get English without the chaos.
• Private international clinics — chains like United Family (和睦家), Raffles and Parkway. Western-style, English-speaking, comfortable, and expensive: a consultation can run several hundred to over a thousand yuan. Worth it if your travel insurance has direct billing with them.

As a rule of thumb: minor → pharmacy; anything else + budget → public hospital; need English, speed, or insurance direct billing → international department or private clinic.

How to register (挂号)

You don’t just walk in and see a doctor — you register first. Think of it as taking a number. There are three ways, and which you use depends on the hospital:

• On the hospital’s WeChat mini-program or app — the smoothest way if you can read it or someone helps you. You pick a department and a time slot and pay the registration fee online.
• Self-service machines (自助挂号机) — in the hospital lobby. Most have an English option. Tap through, choose a department, and the machine prints a ticket.
• The registration window (挂号处) — a staffed counter. Slowest, but a human can look at your phone and point you to the right department.

You’ll need your passport to register — it’s the ID the system uses. You also need to pick a department (科室), which is the tricky part without Chinese:

The registration fee is small — usually a few tens of yuan at a public hospital. When you’re registered you get a queue number; watch the screens for your number, and the doctor calls you in.

Tip: big hospitals are busiest on weekday mornings. Go early, or use the app to book a slot in advance. If the department you want is full, the emergency department will still see you — it just costs a little more and isn’t meant for routine problems.

What a visit looks like

The flow is the same at every public hospital, and knowing it ahead of time removes most of the stress:

1. Register (挂号) — get your queue number for a department.
2. Wait — watch the screens or your phone for your number.
3. See the doctor — a short consultation; they may order tests.
4. Pay (缴费) — usually at self-service machines, with Alipay or WeChat Pay.
5. Do the tests — blood test, X-ray, whatever was ordered — then go back to the doctor.
6. Collect your medicine (取药) — at the pharmacy window, usually on the ground floor.

The whole thing — registration, consultation, a test or two, and medicine — typically costs a few hundred yuan at most at a public hospital. It’s one of the few things in travel that is genuinely cheap.

Paying and insurance

Hospitals run on the same payment rails as the rest of China. Alipay and WeChat Pay work everywhere — at the registration window, the self-service machines, and the pharmacy counter. Cash is accepted too, and cards only at international clinics and large hospitals’ foreign departments.

You pay out of pocket. Chinese hospitals don’t bill your home insurer — you settle the bill (it’s usually small) and keep every receipt to claim when you’re back. The one exception is international clinics, which often have direct billing with major insurers — worth checking if you’re insured and need English.

This is the strongest case for travel insurance you’ll find on this site. A routine public-hospital visit costs little, but a serious illness, a hospital stay, or a private international clinic can genuinely hurt your budget. Get covered before you fly, and save the emergency number.

Emergencies

If it’s an emergency, skip registration and go straight to help.

• Call 120 — the ambulance number (like 911/999/112). Operators may not speak English, so have your location written in Chinese, or pass the phone to someone nearby.
• Or go to any hospital’s emergency department (急诊) — open 24/7, no appointment needed. In a life-threatening emergency, a taxi to the nearest big hospital is often faster than waiting for an ambulance.
• Care comes first, payment after. You’re treated before anyone asks about money, so don’t hesitate.

Getting by without Chinese

The single biggest hurdle isn’t cost or quality — it’s language. Most public-hospital doctors and staff speak little or no English, especially outside big cities. Four ways around it:

• Translation app — type or speak your symptoms and show the Chinese (see the connectivity guide for apps that work in China).
• A phrase card — show the Chinese below; it covers almost everything you need to say.
• A Chinese-speaking helper — your hotel front desk or a friend. Hotels will often call or escort you to a hospital.
• The international department (国际部) — the reliable fix. English-speaking doctors, slightly higher cost, none of the sign-language charades.

If your symptoms are complex, write them down in English first, then translate the whole paragraph — mime and pointing only go so far when you’re explaining where exactly it hurts.

Phrases to show

Save these or just point — showing the characters works better than pronouncing them.

See all survival phrases: Survival Chinese Phrases

Pre-trip checklist

• Buy travel insurance with medical cover, and save the emergency number
• Carry your passport — you’ll need it to register
• Install a translation app that works in China (offline mode if possible)
• Save the phrases above as a note or screenshot
• Bring any prescription medicine, plus a doctor’s letter for anything controlled
• Keep your hotel’s name and address in Chinese (to show a taxi or ambulance)

Keeping this page accurate

Hospitals, payment options and clinic listings change over time, and what’s true in a big city isn’t always true in the countryside. We keep this page up to date: the date below shows when it was last checked, and we refresh it whenever something changes. If you spot something out of date, contact us.