Medical zones

In addition to traditional tourism and tropical agriculture, high-end medical services are now becoming synonymous with Hainan, with more healthcare institutions setting up in Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone in Boao, in eastern Hainan.

Established in 2013 with the approval of the State Council, the Chinese Cabinet, the pilot zone is the country's first and only special medical zone.

Related industries of international medical tourism, such as medical treatment, health management, care rehabilitation, medical cosmetology, and anti-aging procedures are being developed in the pilot zone. It has also become a primary channel for international pharmaceuticals and medical equipment to enter China, and provides world-class medical tourism services to domestic and international patients.

A total of 25 medical institutions — public, private and international — now operate in Lecheng, with another 24 under construction or in the pipeline.

Nineteen of the medical institutions use medical devices and drugs licensed abroad that are approved for use in the pilot zone but not yet in the rest of China. In total, more than 30,000 patients have benefited from the overseas pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

In the first five months of 2023, the number of visitors to Lecheng reached 100,000, a year-on-year growth of almost 60 percent. The combined number of patients allowed to use medical devices and drugs approved for use in the zone was almost 10,000 in the first half of the year, representing annual growth of more than 130 percent.

With five industrial platforms, Lecheng's management team has formed a clear vision for the next step in the development of its industrial chain, said Yan Lukai, publicity director of Lecheng's administration.

"By combining our industrial plan with the upgrading of our preferential policies, the concentration of medical resources, and the acceleration of introducing international innovative drugs and medical devices yet to be marketed in China, I think the zone has entered a new stage of high-quality development," he added.

To date, the zone has introduced more than 320 urgently needed medical devices and drugs, and established relations with 132 manufacturers of pharmaceutical devices and drugs in 17 countries.