Medicine and healthcare

The island of Hainan is endowed with fertile land, fresh air and other necessary elements for the plantation of traditional Chinese herbs. The favorable policies granted by the State Council, China’s Cabinet has also created exceptional advantages for the tropical province to develop healthcare industries.

In the first half of 2018, the province’s medicinal industry maintained its strong momentum and generated 13.54 billion yuan ($2 billion) of industrial output, a surge of 59.2 percent compared with the previous year. The sales volume recorded 11.58 billion yuan, up 44.8 percent year on year. Among Hainan’s 12 pillar industries, medicine is growing very fast, second only to the booming internet industry.

The healthcare industry also showed strong performance. Since 2013, 27 medical projects, including the Boao Super Hospital, are already open for business with another 38 healthcare projects in Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Zone under construction. All projects are scheduled to be completed in five years.

In the meantime, Hainan warmly welcomes foreign medical and healthcare companies to start business on the island and cooperate with the province by taking advantage of the preferential policies granted by the State, such as special permission for importing medical technology, medical equipment and medicine, under which foreign companies will be able to set up medical organizations and foreign medications can enjoy a special import tariff.

The pilot zone will first attract domestic patients who would otherwise travel abroad, and later patients from Southeast and even the whole of Asia. In 2018, medical institutions in Sanya alone received nearly 20,000 medical tourists from overseas.