Real Stories. Real Trust.

Aisha, an American blogger, visited Peking University Shenzhen Hospital for an MRI. She shared her experience on social media, sparking widespread discussion. What impressed her was not just the affordable price, but the seamless one-stop service — from booking, to examination, to picking up her report.

According to statistics, over the past five years, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital has seen an average annual outpatient volume of 4,400 international patients, with numbers continuing to rise.

Louis Montreux, a French executive chef at a hotel in Futian, was diagnosed with a retrosternal thyroid tumor measuring 8 cm — large enough to compress his trachea. The diagnosis required urgent surgery.

Dr. Wang Yuanyang, a thyroid surgeon at Shenzhen People's Hospital Longhua Branch, communicated with Louis entirely in English — reassuring him, designing a personalized surgical plan that removed the tumor like "pulling a carrot," avoiding the need to split the sternum.

The surgery took approximately 80 minutes and was completed successfully, with no damage to the recurrent laryngeal nerve or parathyroid glands. When Louis woke up, Dr. Wang joked: "Bad news — your voice won't sound like Batman's."

Anna, a 35-year-old American patient, suffered from severe dysmenorrhea for 23 years. Doctors in the US recommended a complete hysterectomy. But Anna, who was unmarried and wanted to have children, was devastated.

A friend in China suggested she try a different option. Anna traveled across the globe to Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, where Professor Wu Ruifang and her team performed an innovative PUSH surgery — developed after 15 years of research.

During a 5-hour operation, they removed 656 uterine fibroids while completely preserving Anna's uterus and restoring her fertility. The PUSH surgery technique has now been successfully performed on over 550 patients.

Since opening in July 2012, HKU-Shenzhen Hospital has welcomed patients from 129 countries and regions worldwide. The hospital's International Medical Center has built a reputation for treating complex cases: Indonesian teenagers with severe scoliosis, American patients with Parkinson's disease, and Indian patients with critical thrombotic conditions.

IMC offers one-on-one bilingual services, private inpatient rooms, and direct billing with over 30 international insurance providers.

Between 2023 and 2025, Shenzhen's outpatient and emergency visits by international patients surged from 784,000 to 1.359 million — an average annual growth rate of over 30%. Inpatient admissions grew from 15,000 to 26,000 over the same period.

Currently, 25 hospitals in Shenzhen have officially launched international medical service pilots. As one international patient at Southern Medical University Shenzhen Hospital — a 65-year-old American who had lumbar surgery — noted: "I didn't write a thank-you card like I would in America. I ordered a red silk banner with English words."

Amy, a British influencer, had been waiting for treatment on the NHS for two years without success. She flew to China and completed all her medical procedures in just 13 days, spending less than 3,000 RMB in total.

Her experience went viral on social media, garnering millions of views and sparking a global conversation about medical tourism in China.

This is not an isolated case. International media including BBC has reported on the growing trend: "Once, people flew to the US, Europe, and Japan for cutting-edge medical care. Now, China is rewriting the global medical map with efficiency and affordability."

Mr. Emilio from Italy was a severe snoring and sleep apnea patient who had been troubled for decades. Through a recommendation from a foreign friend, he learned about Dr. Zhang Xiangmin, Director of the ENT Department at Southern Medical University Shenzhen Hospital, who is experienced in snoring treatment — and decided to come.

The hospital provided multilingual services throughout, with barrier-free communication. They conducted comprehensive evaluations for Emilio — sleep monitoring, pharyngeal endoscopy, airway assessment — to precisely identify the cause of his airway obstruction. The team then designed a personalized minimally invasive snoring correction surgical plan, with minimal trauma and fast recovery.

Mr. Stephen from Australia also suffered from chronic snoring and learned about Dr. Zhang Xiangmin's expertise through international medical channels. He traveled specifically to the hospital for treatment.

The surgery was completed smoothly, and the medical team provided meticulous postoperative care and guided his recovery. Within days, Stephen made a full recovery and was very satisfied with the entire treatment process.

Michal, a 65-year-old American, was diagnosed with tonsil cancer. Rather than returning to the US for treatment, he chose to stay in Shenzhen and work with Dr. Tan Wenyong's oncology team at Southern Medical University Shenzhen Hospital.

The treatment plan combined Western radiation therapy with Lei Huo Jiu (雷火灸), a traditional Chinese moxibustion technique used to support the body during intensive treatment. After five weeks of combined therapy, Michal's tumor had completely disappeared.

This integrative approach — combining evidence-based Western oncology with targeted TCM support — represents a uniquely Shenzhen model of cancer care that attracted international attention.

Mark, a foreign patient admitted to HKU-Shenzhen Hospital's International Medical Center for coronary angiography, arrived anxious and withdrawn. He barely spoke during initial assessments — a wall of silence built from fear of the unknown.

His nurse practiced narrative nursing: rather than simply explaining the procedure in clinical terms, she used a wristband and catheter as props to demonstrate exactly what would happen during the surgery. She turned an abstract medical procedure into something tangible and understandable.

This approach — called narrative nursing — transformed Mark's experience. From silent anxiety to informed trust, the case became a teaching example of how humanistic care bridges cultural and language gaps in international medicine.

Nikola, a 7-year-old boy from Serbia, arrived at Southern Medical University Shenzhen Hospital with a complex medical history: premature birth, epilepsy, autism spectrum disorder, and chronic abdominal pain with severe constipation.

The hospital assembled a multidisciplinary team — gastroenterologists, neurologists, and pediatric specialists — to assess his condition holistically. After comprehensive evaluation, the gastroenterology team performed two fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) procedures.

FMT, an emerging therapy that transfers healthy gut bacteria to restore intestinal balance, showed promising results for Nikola. His digestive symptoms improved noticeably, and his overall quality of life began to change.

Barry Marshall — Nobel Prize laureate, discoverer of Helicobacter pylori, and one of the most influential gastroenterologists of the past half-century — visited the International Department of Peking University Shenzhen Hospital.

During his visit, Professor Marshall conducted guidance sessions on individualized genetic testing for digestive diseases. His team's work on H. pylori has fundamentally changed how the world understands stomach ulcers and gastric cancer prevention.

The fact that a Nobel laureate is actively engaged with Shenzhen's medical institutions says something important: this city's international medical ecosystem has reached a level where world-class experts want to be part of it.