Cross-border healthcare taking shape in Shenzhen

Cross-border healthcare is taking shape in Shenzhen as many patients seek to go abroad for medical treatment.

From cervical cancer vaccines and tumor screening tests to stem cell treatment, cross-border medical treatment is becoming a part of peoples' lives just like overseas travel, and in Shenzhen, an industrial chain has been formed which specializes in this emerging field.

Tang Chen, a 34-year-old from Shenzhen, is among many seeking medical care abroad. He traveled to South Korea for stem cell treatment after he was diagnosed with osteoarthritis. His left knee was injured in an outdoor sporting accident in 2016 and he ultimately developed osteoarthritis despite receiving medical treatment at several hospitals.

Suffering from severe cartilage abrasion, Tang's options in Shenzhen were limited – he could take steroid or sodium hyaluronate injections in his articular cavity every year, which only brings temporary relief, or replace his affected joint with a 10-kilogram artificial one, which could severely limit his mobility and deprive him of more advanced therapy in the future.

When stem cell therapy treatment for arthritis was approved by the South Korean government in 2012, it was still undergoing clinical trials in China and only a small handful of volunteer patients were eligible to receive it.

Knowing that he had little chance of being selected for the treatment in China, Tang decided to try his luck in South Korea. A cross-border healthcare agency in Shenzhen helped Tang reorganize and translate his medical records, get a remote diagnosis from South Korean doctors and arrange his trip to South Korea for the therapy.

After the three-month stem cell treatment, Tang's cartilage began to heal. "I will soon have a new knee," said Tang excitedly after seeing his eroded cartilage beginning to grow back in an ultrasound test photograph.

Another patient, Li Juan, who had been diagnosed with a rare lung cancer, also received a remote diagnosis from doctors at the Massachusetts General Hospital in the United States with the help of a cross-border medical care service agency in Shenzhen.

Following the remote diagnosis, American doctors made a five-year disease-monitoring plan for Li and suggested she take medicine to alleviate the side effects of chemotherapy. The doctors also said she could consider receiving immunotherapy in the future if needed.

"Doctors from overseas were able to offer different treatment advice than their Chinese counterparts," according to Wang Junyu, chairman of a Shenzhen-based cross-border healthcare agency. Every country has its own strengths within the medical industry. The US, for example, boasts the best hospitals for tumor treatment while Germany excels in orthopedics and cell treatment.   

"Not all patients need to go abroad to receive treatment if the treatment plans offered by doctors in China are approved by doctors overseas." The office of Wang's agency is flooded every day with calls asking about cross-border healthcare services.

Statistics show that four of the most in-demand cross-border healthcare services include severe diseases treatment, overseas physical examinations, medical cosmetology and maternity services, while popular destinations include America, Japan, South Korea and India.