Private Medical Services...

[rogerluli]

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/...1848745,00.html

 

An article on the growth of private medical services and hospitals in China. With greater numbers of expats in China and an ever expanding middle class that can afford better medical care this was inevitable and it's very good news for any of us planning on making the switch... I certainly would not look forward to the "invasive" prostate procedure done without anesthesia at a small hospital that they mention at the start of the article...

[GZBILL]

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/...1848745,00.html

 

An article on the growth of private medical services and hospitals in China. With greater numbers of expats in China and an ever expanding middle class that can afford better medical care this was inevitable and it's very good news for any of us planning on making the switch... I certainly would not look forward to the "invasive" prostate procedure done without anesthesia at a small hospital that they mention at the start of the article...

 

I would take the article's claims with a grain of salt -- a large grain at that.

 

First, there are no plans to privatize the nation's existing state-run medical care facilities. One reason China has managed to avoid another people's uprising over the past years is precisely because medical care is cheap. In Beijing, not taking into account migrant factory workers, the average salary is 3,400 RMB ($500).

 

Also, it is completely false that multinational companies are planning to increase expat head count. The authoritative source on personnel matters in Chinese MNCs, Mercer, and executive planning strategy in not only my company but in others I am personally familiar with point to the opposite. The economy in China is taking a hit, profits are down across the board, expat labor costs more than double comparable local labor and the Chinese government is putting more and more pressure on MNCs to localize. It's not rocket science.

 

In some cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai, there is a demand for expat medical services, but the market is also flooded. Even some of the oldest, best run expat medical care systems are cutting back because of reduced profits and increased business expenses. Some, such as SOS and Global Doctor -- the two biggest -- have curtailed services and have outsourced those remaining services to local (i.e. Chinese) medical professionals.

 

And all this while the Chinese medical services are on their own improving and meeting higher standards.

[chilton747]

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/...1848745,00.html

 

An article on the growth of private medical services and hospitals in China. With greater numbers of expats in China and an ever expanding middle class that can afford better medical care this was inevitable and it's very good news for any of us planning on making the switch... I certainly would not look forward to the "invasive" prostate procedure done without anesthesia at a small hospital that they mention at the start of the article...

 

I would take the article's claims with a grain of salt -- a large grain at that.

 

First, there are no plans to privatize the nation's existing state-run medical care facilities. One reason China has managed to avoid another people's uprising over the past years is precisely because medical care is cheap. In Beijing, not taking into account migrant factory workers, the average salary is 3,400 RMB ($500).

 

Also, it is completely false that multinational companies are planning to increase expat head count. The authoritative source on personnel matters in Chinese MNCs, Mercer, and executive planning strategy in not only my company but in others I am personally familiar with point to the opposite. The economy in China is taking a hit, profits are down across the board, expat labor costs more than double comparable local labor and the Chinese government is putting more and more pressure on MNCs to localize. It's not rocket science.

 

In some cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai, there is a demand for expat medical services, but the market is also flooded. Even some of the oldest, best run expat medical care systems are cutting back because of reduced profits and increased business expenses. Some, such as SOS and Global Doctor -- the two biggest -- have curtailed services and have outsourced those remaining services to local (i.e. Chinese) medical professionals.

 

And all this while the Chinese medical services are on their own improving and meeting higher standards.

 

GZBILL, thanks for keeping us straight!