Health Insurance in Shenzhen

Being a major city in China, Shenzhen has attracted many people throughout the years. Thus, it has a variety of different health insurance options of expats and foreigners in Shenzhen.

Shenzhen was one of the fastest growing cities in the world in the 1990s and 2000s and globally is a leading technology hub. Ranking 14th in the 2019 Global Financial Centers Index, it is the headquarters of numerous multinational companies and the host of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. Shenzhen also has one of the busiest container ports in the world.

Hospitals and medical facilities in Shenzhen

There are a lot of hospitals and clinics where expats and their families can go to receive care in Shenzhen. This includes many public hospitals in the city, VIP area at local hospitals, and even private hospitals and clinics. At public hospitals it is beneficial for expats to bring someone who can translate with them, as generally doctors at local hospitals do not speak foreign languages. 

Shenzhen also has dedicated maternity and children’s hospitals that feature some of the country’s leading equipment and maintains high health standards. VIP areas or foreign clinics are areas designed explicitly with expats and foreigners in mind that offer more individual and western style services. However, sometimes the only differentiating factor for doctors in these areas of the hospitals in that they speak a  foreign language, usually English, but this can be a good option for an expat who doesn’t want to pay the high cost commonly associated with a foreign-operated clinic.

Though there are inexpensive options, such as public hospitals, in Shenzhen it is still highly recommended for expats and foreigners to get international health insurance so they can seek treatment at private facilities as often times it is challenging to navigate Chinese public hospitals.  

Below is a list of international and private medical facilities in Shenzhen:

• The University of Hong Kong – Shenzhen Hospital ( International Medical Center)
• Distinct HealthCare-Shenzhen CBD Medical Center
• Distinct HealthCare-Shenzhen Coastal City Medical Center
• Shenzhen Far-East Women & Children Hospital
• Distinct HealthCare-Shenzhen Shekou Medical Center
• Shenzhen Chiho Medical Centre
• Shenzhen Vista-SK Outpatient (Vista-SK International Medical Center)
• Raffles Medical Shenzhen Clinic (International SOS – Shenzhen Clinic
• Shenzhen Amcare Women’s & Children’s Hospital
• Shenzhen CanAm International Medical Center

Health Issues for expat in Shenzhen

Shenzhen was once known for spewing out dark clouds of toxic pollution had done a lot to clean up the city and become one of China’s most sustainable cities. Shenzhen has reduced its average air pollution by roughly 50% in less than a decade. As one of the first major cities in the world to come out with an all-electric public bus system, they now have an electric taxi fleet as well. Roughly 60% of all taxis are electric cars with the goal to be all-electric. Due to these changes, air pollution is now a moderate concern rather than a significant concern, though Shenzhen on average still has high pollution levels. For expats, the most prominent health concern from living is Shenzhen is that the water quality is very low; however, this is a general problem in China, not just specific to Shenzhen.