Medical and health care in China

Overseas tour means a change in water, food, sleep habits or climate, which can cause discomfort to travelers. Health care in China is one of the most important China travel tips that should be known when planning a China trip.

Traveling to most regions of China is safe, except some high altitude areas, such as Tibet. If you are not sure about your health conditions, ask your doctor and prepare some essential medicines based on your doctors’ requirements before going to these places. You can also read our tips about the High Altitude Sickness.

Other China Travel Tips on Health Care You Should Know:

1. Get enough knowledge about climate on attractions before you go and wear appropriate apparel.
2. Get information on hospitals or clinics in tourist attractions to prepare for any accidents, so that you can get aids as soon as possible.
3. Carry common medicine with you, it can help you a lot when you cannot find a clinic.
4. Take your mobile phone and you can call “120” for first aid when you need to make emergency calls.

Hospital Conditions in China

Most hospitals and clinics in China are state owned and serve all people. So, even if you are an overseas traveler, you can also take use of one close to you. However, not all staff members in hospitals and clinic can speak English. In big cities like Beijing, Shanghai or Chengdu, English speaking doctors are common. While in small counties and villages, nearly all doctors cannot speak English.

Below are some tips which will help you when you get sick:

• If you are traveling with an agency, please tell your guide when you feel sick. But if you go on a private China trip and staff members in hospitals know nothing about English, you should try to talk with them with gestures.
• Bringing some common medicine with you on your China trip is recommended. In China, getting over the counter medicine is so common and you can prepare to buy some medicine for your China trip in cities, where staff members can speak English.
• One of the most important China travel tips for those take prescription medication travelers is that, you should always carry medications in the original prescription container when traveling just in case you are hospitalized your Chinese doctor needs to know what medication you are currently on.

Traditional Chinese Medicine

Traditional Chinese medicine and their taboos are vital China travel tips if you want to treat your sickness with them. For instance, you cannot eat fish after take some Chinese medicine. If you do, you will get chemical poisoning.

You must take Chinese medicine under doctor’s instruction. If you travel to Tibet, the High Altitude Sickness is a big challenge. Before you go, you can visit your family doctor to get some suggestions. There are two common medicines you can take for high altitude sickness. Diamox (Acetazolamide) and a traditional Tibetan medicine, Hongjingtian (Rhodiola Eoccinea), and you can buy them in nearly all hospitals, clinics and medicine stores in China.