The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University Selected as Guangdong Pilot Hospital for International Medical Services

Background

The Guangdong Provincial Health Commission, the Guangdong Provincial Healthcare Security Administration, and the Guangdong Provincial Medical Products Administration jointly announced the first batch of 25 pilot hospitals for international medical services around March 26, 2026. This marked the formal implementation of the pilot program. The initiative responded to reported growth in demand, with foreign medical visits to Guangdong increasing by over 20 percent in 2025 and hospitalization needs surging by 76.05 percent. It forms part of efforts to implement the Healthy China, Healthy Guangdong, and Healthy Bay Area strategies while enhancing the internationalization of medical services and the regional business environment.

What was achieved

The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University was selected in this first batch, along with the university's Affiliated Women and Children's Medical Center. Per the university news release, the hospital will integrate superior resources across the institution to establish an international high-quality medical service platform combining outpatient, inpatient, and physical examination services. This aims to position it as a benchmark for international medical services in the Guangzhou region and an important window for external exchanges.

The hospital maintains an international medical department. Later reports indicated that its Datansha campus international medical area had received overseas patients, primarily in respiratory medicine, thoracic surgery, urology, and oncology.

How it works

Under the pilot, services adhere to internationally recognized standards in technology, procedures, management systems, and payment. They target residents of Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, foreign nationals, overseas Chinese, and certain domestic patients using self-payment or international commercial insurance. These services are kept separate from the basic public medical system so as not to affect resources or care for local patients covered by China's basic medical insurance. Pilot hospitals may set their own prices for these services. The pilot period covers 2026 and 2027, with potential dynamic adjustments based on performance.

The hospital leverages its established strengths, particularly in respiratory medicine and thoracic surgery. Diagnosis of respiratory conditions can involve advanced imaging such as PET-CT, which combines positron emission tomography and computed tomography to reveal both anatomical structure and metabolic activity of tissues, assisting in accurate detection and staging of diseases such as tumors. Treatment often employs minimally invasive video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). The hospital has conducted extensive non-intubated or tubeless VATS procedures, performed through small incisions using a camera for visualization, which in suitable cases avoids certain forms of general anesthesia and postoperative chest drainage tubes, potentially supporting reduced pain and faster recovery compared to traditional open approaches. Equipment such as the Da Vinci robotic system, linear accelerators, and PET-CT/MR has been referenced in department reports.

What it means for international patients

The pilot designation supports development of dedicated international services at the hospital, potentially providing access to its expertise in national key clinical specialties through a structured platform. The hospital has an international medical department and has described third-party support for bilingual medical documents and translation services, which can assist patients with follow-up care or insurance processes after returning home. Reports have noted use of policies allowing access to certain drugs and devices approved in Hong Kong and Macao.

International patients should directly contact the hospital's international medical department to confirm eligibility for pilot services, current availability, specific offerings at the Datansha campus or other sites, appointment requirements, insurance arrangements, and any language or documentation support. Services under the pilot do not draw from basic medical insurance resources.

About the hospital

The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University is a public Grade 3A comprehensive hospital located in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, at No. 151 Yanjiang West Road in Yuexiu District, with additional campuses including Datansha. Founded in 1903, it is affiliated with Guangzhou Medical University and integrates clinical care, teaching, scientific research, health care, rehabilitation, and pre-hospital emergency services.

It hosts the Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health and was approved in July 2020 by the National Health Commission as one of the main institutions constructing the National Respiratory Medicine Center. It maintains 13 national clinical key specialties: respiratory medicine, thoracic surgery, urology, critical care medicine, organ transplantation, oncology, medical imaging, otolaryngology, neurology, clinical laboratory, integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine, allergy, and infectious diseases. The hospital has contributed to responses to major respiratory disease outbreaks including SARS and COVID-19.