Preparing For Your Trip To China

Arrival

You will arrive at Beijing Capital Airport. You will be asked to fill in an arrival form. Then just go through the customs where your passports and visa will be checked.
At the arrivals gate one of our service personnel will pick you up and take you to the hospital. It is a 40 minutes drive from the airport. Once you have purchased your tickets please inform us on your flight details (arrival time, flight number, terminal number)

Payment

You are requested to pay the treatment fee upon arrival. Our service personnel will assist you in all currency exchange and financial issues. Invoices are provided at discharge along with the discharge notice and medical report.

Packing

What to pack:

• Your MRIs CDs
• Some games or books or mini-DVD player for your entertainment as you will miss your regular TV channels and Youtube. Latest hollywood movies are available here for CNY5 per DVD.
• MP3 player or iPod and small speaker if you are a music lover
• Camera
• Your cellphone. We can replace the SIM with local SIM for about CNY150 and you can use while you are in China.
• Laptop
• Caps or hats and sunglasses
• Other essentials: credit card, copies of passports, address of the hospital
• Your favorite snacks

Wheelchair

Please bring your lightest, foldable wheelchair with you.

Medications

Though your treatment duration may be shorter, but please bring all your current medications for 30 days. Please also bring your own supplements, aspirin etc. Nicotine gum is available but nicotine patches are not available here.

Clothes

Summer: light and comfortable clothes can be easily washed and dried (cotton T-shirts are best).

Winter: Down garment or winter jacket, hat, ear protectors, scarf, gloves.

Spring and autumn: Sturdy, warm and washable clothes, comfortable jacket, sweater, casual coat.

Shoes: comfortable walking shoes and sandals suitable for sightseeing. Slippers.

Weather

Beijing enjoys a typical moderate continental climate. It is a typical city, where the four seasons are distinct:
Spring in Beijing is warm with flowers but dry, dusty and windy, sometimes even with sandstorms; summer is hot, sometimes humidly hot and rainy; autumn is cool, pleasant and comfortable with bright sunny sky and it is the best season of the whole year; winter is clear but cold with some snow and sometimes it is severely cold with strong north wind.

Visit this link on Yahoo for current weather conditions

Private ward

Your private ward is located at the International Patient Department. These are European standard wards with 2 rooms, a small balcony and a bathroom. Each room is equipped with a patient bed, study, bed-foldable sofa, 2 LCD televisions, refrigerator, microwave oven and computer.

One or two accompanies can also be accommodated here on a bed-foldable sofa for two.
The private wards are run in a self-service system, which means you yourself have to buy toilet paper, soap, shampoo, etc. and please bring your own towel.

The nurse station and doctor’s office is available 24/7.
Daily cleaning service is provided.

Visit this link for some photos of our wards for international patients

Internet

A desktop with internet is only available in the big double room private ward. Please note Facebook, YouTube,Twitter, many free blogging websites are blocked in China. So you will need a proxy or VPN  to access those sites.

Most hotels in China now provide free internet access via LAN cable.
We can arrange a private internet  connection via USB for you laptop which costs about CNY800 unlimited use.

Meals

Patients can have Chinese hospital meals during their stay (super cheap). However here we must call your attention to the fact that most Western patients prefer to opt for international food. In our experience even the most adventurous families change to Western cuisine after a week or so.

If you choose to eat out, a variety of options are available. Near the hospital, there are supermarkets as well as Chinese and Western restaurants (Brazilian BBQ, Italian, KFC, McDonald’s).

Asian cuisine costs from a minimum of 15 RMB (~ 2 USD), Western cuisine from a minimum of 45 RMB (~6 USD). International baby food products are also available in a wide selection.
It is advisable to bring some of your favorite snacks. They might be refreshing after a few weeks of stay.

Laundry service

Laundry is not provided by the hospital. Your service personnel can arrange external laundry service for you. It costs about CNY5-7 piece.

Personal helper

In China a nurse’s job is restricted to only medical care. They do not provide personal assistance like bathing, feeding, toilet needs, etc. The family should attend these tasks. Optionally, you can hire a personal helper. They are reliable people with experience and registered by the hospital. It costs around CNY120/24 hours.

Beijing transport

Beijing has one of the best transportation systems in China. It offers subways, buses, taxis. We don’t expect you to take buses and subways while in Beijing so we will talk more about taxis and little about subways.

Taxi

During your stay in China, you will be using taxi a lot while going out whether for shopping or sight seeing. Taxi is the best way to move around in Beijing.

Minimum distance fee is CNY10 and CNY2 per kilometer after 3KM. The charge rises to CNY3 per kilometer after 15 kilometers.
Please note that most drivers do not speak any English. It is always better to carry the destination names written in Chinese. And always keep an address card of the hospital or the hotel where you are staying.

Taxi doors do not open and close automatically like in Japan. You have to do it yourself.
Most drivers are friendly and don’t expect any tips. You may be required to pay CNY1 or 2 more once the meter crosses CNY20 as fuel surcharge. So don’t be surprised.

Subway

Beijing subway is fairly a new one built just before the Olympics in 2008. Its cheap and fast. Single onward journey costs a flat CNY2 even if you have to change lines. Most subway stations do not have elevators and escalators and not all the stations are wheel chair friendly. If you have to go out in a wheel chair then subway is not an option.

Money & currency exchange

Most major currencies can be exchanged at banks, five star hotels and few other large department stores. In all these places the rate offered is usually the official rate.
Please see the official exchange rate here: http://www.boc.cn/sourcedb/whpj/enindex.html
When you exchange money, keep the receipt as you’ll need it if you want to change back any spare RMB you have left at the end of your trip.

ATM

ATMs are a convenient way to get money, but the cost effectiveness will depend on your bank back home. Some UK and US banks charge so much for withdrawals abroad that it’s cheaper to get a cash advance on a credit card than to draw directly from your account. Most large branches of Bank of China now have ATMs compatible with foreign cards. Visa, Mastercard, Cirrus, Maestro, AmEx and Plus can all be used in Bank of China ATMs.

Credit Cards

Foreign credit cards can be used in large hotels, the most upmarket restaurants, and to buy airplane tickets etc.., but otherwise not so common as in the States. Visa, Mastercard, JCB and AmEx are the most widely accepted. You must try to carry Chinese currency always.  Cash advances on foreign credit cards are available at the Bank of China, but only from the main branch. You’ll need to bring a passport have to withdraw at least 1200Y. The commission is 4%, but AmEx users don’t have to pay it.

Spare time

We encourage you to move out and look around in the city. Beijing is a safe city with curious and friendly people.
Beijing is full of history, culture, cuisine, shopping. You can visit world heritage sites such as the Forbidden City, Great Wall, and Lama Temple,lots of gardens,museums, kung-fu and acrobatic shows. The hotel offers tour programs.

Shopping

You can buy quality silk, pearls, chinaware etc., in China. You can also buy electronics for cheap here.
Bargaining is a must here. Always ask for 30-40% of the price they quote at markets. If they don’t agree just move on without buying.