Getting medical help in China as a visitor

For an emergency, call 120 first

If someone needs urgent medical assistance, call 120. Ask hotel staff, a member of station staff or another person nearby to help explain the situation and exact location if necessary. Do not assume an English-speaking operator will be available.

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For a severe allergy, follow the emergency plan prescribed for you and seek emergency care immediately. Keep your medication accessible. The allergy preparation section covers what to arrange before travelling.

Once urgent help is underway, contact your insurer's assistance service and the person who should know about the situation. An ambulance, a hospital and an insurer have different roles; getting one on the phone does not automatically notify the others.

For non-emergency care, confirm where to go

Ask your insurer or a suitable medical provider which facility can assess the problem. Public hospitals, international departments and private clinics can have different appointment systems, language support and payment arrangements. Confirm the specific branch and department rather than choosing a familiar hospital name alone.

Before setting out for a non-urgent appointment, ask whether the provider is open, whether the appropriate clinician is available, how registration works and whether language assistance can be arranged. A well-known clinic is not necessarily equipped for every problem.

A pharmacy can answer questions about products it supplies, but is not a substitute for an assessment when you need medical care. Use the medicine's generic or active-ingredient name and original packaging when asking a pharmacist or clinician for help.

Keep the information together

Write down when the problem started and what has changed. If you have already taken a medicine, show the package and tell the clinician when you took it. These notes help a consultation without asking you to diagnose yourself.

In an emergency, take available information without delaying the call for help. For routine preparation, the medication packing checks cover original labels and documentation.

Ask staff to explain the next stage

Registration, consultation, payment for tests and medicine collection may happen at different counters. Ask where to register as a foreign visitor, whether an appointment is required and how to return for the next stage. Retain any patient number, hospital card or payment reference issued to you.

For a medical conversation, use a competent interpreter or the provider's language service where available. A translation app can help identify a counter or address, but should not be the sole way you understand consent, medication instructions or a significant treatment decision. Ask for clarification before agreeing to non-urgent care you do not understand.

Confirm payment and insurance separately

Healthcare can involve payment at the time of care or a deposit. Do not assume a hospital accepts your overseas card or can bill your insurer directly. Ask the hospital and insurer to confirm the arrangement for that facility and policy. An insurance card by itself is not a payment guarantee.

For non-urgent treatment, ask what authorisation your insurer needs and which costs are covered. For urgent care, get help first and involve the insurer as soon as practicable. Keep the assistance reference, itemised bills, receipts, prescriptions and reports for the claim.

Review cover for existing conditions, the activities on your route and medical evacuation before departure. A travel planner's assistance and a travel insurance policy are separate arrangements. Read Limina's travel support and service boundaries for the role of your agreed travel services.

Leave with instructions you understand

Ask the clinician to explain your medicine, any follow-up and the circumstances that should prompt you to seek help again. Request written information you can show to another provider. Have unclear instructions interpreted rather than guessing from a label or an image search.

If illness affects the rest of the journey, discuss flying or other travel with the treating clinician and check the carrier's requirements. Tell the people handling your bookings which arrangements need to change, and retain the documents your insurer requests.

Before the trip, save your insurer's contact, the Chinese hotel addresses and the emergency number offline. That small preparation is more useful than trying to memorise a list of hospitals you may never need.