Overseas doctors can now open clinics in Suzhou

In mainland cities like Beijing and Shanghai, the white coat no longer needs a local zip code. Overseas doctors – including those from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan – are now allowed to open clinics, part of a broader national push to open the doors wider in China's service sector.

China expands access for overseas doctors in a push to globalize healthcare.

The initiative is part of a sprawling pilot program that covers 155 reforms across a medley of industries: telecom, tourism, biotech, eldercare, finance, trade and transport. Healthcare, too.

What started with 11 cities has now grown to 20, with newly-added cities like Hefei, Fuzhou and Suzhou joining the original cohort. The current list reads like a travelogue of urban ambition: Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Hainan, Chongqing, Shenyang, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Dalian, Ningbo, Xiamen, Xi'an, Qingdao, Shenzhen – and now, a few more.
In healthcare, the changes are tangible. Qualified overseas doctors can now set up clinics. Those already abroad – doctors, nurses, pharmacists – are welcome to practice temporarily, with a streamlined process replacing the paperwork slog that once stalled such moves.
The plan goes further: Foreign-funded nursing schools are encouraged to open and to train talent directly for Chinese institutions.
"This is about bringing in quality medical resources," said Jiao Yahui of the National Health Commission at a press conference this week. "We want to expand supply, and meet the increasingly diverse needs of residents – locals and expats alike."
Part of the strategy involves integrating overseas medical facilities into China's commercial insurance network and nudging them toward national hospital accreditation – a move that could eventually open the door to international insurance access.
Overseas involvement isn't new. China has already tested wholly foreign-owned hospitals. Today, more than 150 joint-venture or foreign-run medical facilities are operating across the country. And over 1,500 overseas healthcare professionals are now active in short-term practices.
Source：iSuzhou