On average, three foreign patients seek emergency treatment every day at Sun Yat-sen University's First Hospital, and the number will see a sharp rise during trade fairs, reported Guangzhou Daily.

For most foreigners, seeing a doctor in Guangzhou may not be an enjoyable experience. Knowing only a few Chinese words like "Nihao" (meaning "hello" in Chinese) and "Zaijian" ("goodbye"), they are hardly able to communicate with doctors.

It's even worse for non-English speakers. Professor Liao Xiaoxing recalls a recent visit from an African woman in her thirties.

"Neither she nor her husband could speak English. All we knew was that she felt dizzy," said Professor Liao. "Tests showed she was hypoglycemic; but, based on past experiences, we believed she might be a diabetic. However, she couldn't confirm our suspicions."

Eventually, an empty medicine box in her bag confirmed Liao's diagnosis. "Some people who suffer from high blood sugar take too much medicine, which leads to symptoms of hypoglycemia."

"She couldn't even tell us that she was pregnant. If not for the thorough tests and patient inquiry, we might have treated her like other common patients. The medicine prescribed could have been dangerous to her baby," explained Liao.

Liao suggests foreign patients ask Chinese friends to accompany them to the hospital, and bring along previous medical records, x-ray files, and packages of medicines they are currently taking. Associate Professor Chen Yantao with Sun Yat-sen University's Second Hospital also asks Chinese doctors to use as few professional terms as possible.

Apart from the language barrier, different medical systems usually result in debates between foreign patients and medical staff.

In China, except for first aid, patients must pay fees in advance for any test or treatment. "Some foreigners think they may be cheated if test results show they are healthy," said a doctor unwilling to reveal his name. "Sometimes, we spend more time convincing them than doing the examination."

Despite these inconveniences, many foreigners favor Chinese hospitals for their lower charges. A typical surgery costs 20,000 yuan in China, one tenth of the charge in other countries; it's US$30,000 in Israel and US$20,000 in Singapore for a similar surgery. There are a number of foreign businesspeople who take advantage of trade fairs to see a doctor in Guangzhou.

With the increase of foreign residents, foreign insurance companies intend to explore the huge market together with local medical providers, but hospitals are reluctant to cooperate.

"Foreign insurance companies usually review the staff's English level, medical equipment, and technology. But at present, local hospitals are not fully prepared to take part in foreign medical service," said Professor Liao. "For example, we are unable to translate all medical records into English as required by those companies."

System differences remain the biggest obstacle. Industry insiders insist that providing foreign medical service will require standardization and regulation of the private doctor system, a new system for personal electric medical records, and uniform standards for medical writings.

Some hospitals in Beijing, such as Peking Union Medical College Hospital, have opened outpatient departments for foreigners. "It's a necessary development for local hospitals to work together in providing medical service to foreigners," said Chen.

(China.org.cn by Huang Shan, February 9, 2007)