Doctors, pharmacies and what to do at three in the morning

Which hospital to go to, what it costs, what a pharmacy will hand over without a prescription, and the numbers to keep on the lock screen.

6 min read

The three numbers

Ambulance 120. Police 110. Fire 119. They are free from any phone, including one with no SIM. Operators in the big cities can usually find an English speaker; say the city and district first, then the street.

Where to go

	Cost	Language	When
Public hospital, ordinary department	Very cheap	Chinese only	You have a translator or a friend
Public hospital, international wing	Moderate	English, usually	Most things, most of the time
Private international clinic	Expensive, insurance expected	English and often more	You want an appointment and a quiet waiting room

The international wing of a big public hospital is the answer most of the time: the same consultants as the ordinary department, a booking system, and someone at the desk who speaks English. Bring your passport and your insurance card.

How a hospital visit works

1
Register first 挂号
You pay a small registration fee and are assigned a department before you see anyone. Do this at the machine or the window on the ground floor.
2
See the doctor
Consultations are brief and direct. Have your symptoms and any medication you take written down, in Chinese if you can.
3
Pay, then collect
Tests, scans and medicine are each paid for before they are done. You will walk between the window, the lab and the pharmacy. Keep every receipt for insurance.

Pharmacies

Green cross, open late, on most streets. Much more is available without a prescription than in Europe, including some antibiotics — which does not mean you should self-prescribe them.
Bring your own regular medication with the original box and a copy of the prescription. Some common Western drugs are unavailable or differently named.
Ask for the generic name written down before you travel. A pharmacist who cannot understand you can still read a molecule.

Check whether your travel or employer insurance actually pays in mainland China, and whether it pays the hospital directly or reimburses you later. The difference matters at the payment window, where a hospital may want the money before the scan.

Sources

Emergency numbers in China — 120 / 110 / 119checked 2026-09-07

Rules, fees and app screens change. Everything here was checked against the sources above on the dates shown; when the app in your hand disagrees with this page, the app is right.