Xiamen · China
Getting treatment in Xiamen as a foreigner
Xiamen got a real international department in June 2025 — a floor, a 24-hour line, an insurance desk, an email address that answers — in a city where the airport is fifteen minutes from the hospital and Taiwan is an hour away by air. It is also the only mainland city where a Taiwanese patient’s NHI reimbursement paperwork is a routine front-desk service rather than a favour. Two things to know before you book: the department is new, and the airport is about to move.
The case for the city
What Xiamen actually has that other cities don’t
An international department built in 2025, to a modern spec. Xiamen University’s Zhongshan Hospital opened its International Medical Department in June 2025 on the third floor of building three: a separate reception, single rooms, a 24-hour line, an email address, an insurance-claims desk that assembles the paperwork for you, and a mandate to coordinate outpatient, inpatient, checkup and follow-up as one case. In its first year it reported patients from 22 countries.
A Taiwan-facing hospital with NHI paperwork as a service. Xiamen Chang Gung is a Taiwan-invested private hospital on the Haicang side of the bay, with a dedicated Taiwan compatriot service desk: appointment line, medication consultation, and — the part that matters — help assembling and submitting Taiwan NHI reimbursement claims for emergency treatment on the mainland, without flying back to file them.
The shortest airport-to-hospital run in China, for now. Gaoqi airport is inside the city, ten to fifteen minutes from the Siming hospital district. That is a genuine advantage and it is temporary: the new Xiang’an airport opens at the end of 2026 and Gaoqi closes with it.
Option one
A new international department and two large teaching hospitals
Only the first row is a purpose-built international service. The other two are large 3A hospitals with strong specialties and no English-language desk.
| Hospital | Known for | International channel | District |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xiamen University Zhongshan Hospital 厦门大学附属中山医院 |
Gastroenterology, general surgery, orthopaedics, oncology; four national key clinical specialties | International Medical Department since June 2025: separate reception on building three, 24-hour line, email intake, insurance-claims assistance, single rooms, coordinated follow-up | Siming (Hubin South Road) |
| First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University 厦门大学附属第一医院 |
Comprehensive medicine, oncology, cardiology, emergency | No dedicated English-language international desk verified | Siming (Zhenhai Road) |
| Zhongshan Hospital Xiamen (Fudan) 复旦大学附属中山医院厦门医院 |
Cardiology, oncology, minimally invasive surgery — the Shanghai programme, replicated | No international clinic verified; Chinese-language outpatient process | Huli |
On the two airports, which is the real issue: as of this review Gaoqi is still operating and the new Xiang’an airport is scheduled to open at the end of 2026, with Gaoqi closing at the same time. Xiang’an is on Dadeng island, close to Kinmen and much further from the city. Confirm before booking, and add an hour if you are on the new airport.
Why the new department is the default
It is the only place in the city where a foreign patient gets a named coordinator, English from the first phone call, a room to wait in that is not a corridor, and someone to assemble the insurance paperwork. The department reports 600-plus patients from 22 countries in its first year, which is not a track record in surgery but is a track record in process.
For a checkup, a diagnostic work-up, a second opinion, or a straightforward procedure, that is enough. For a rare tumour or complex cardiac surgery, ask them what volume they do — and be prepared to hear Shanghai.
What Chang Gung is for
Xiamen Chang Gung is a private hospital built with Taiwan investment and run on Taiwanese hospital conventions: appointment-based, single rooms, transparent package pricing for common procedures, and a service culture that feels different from a mainland public hospital. Its Taiwan compatriot desk handles NHI reimbursement claims for emergency treatment, assembles the documents and submits them — a service with no equivalent elsewhere on this coast.
The trade-off is scale: it is a medium-sized private hospital, not a transplant centre. For elective surgery with a known diagnosis it is comfortable and predictable; for something rare it is the wrong building.
Option two
The private sector: one real hospital
Xiamen Chang Gung is the private option worth naming — Taiwan-invested, international-standard building, package pricing for common surgery, English and Taiwanese-speaking staff, and the NHI claims desk described above. It is also the default choice for patients crossing from Kinmen or Taipei.
Beyond it, the market is dental, aesthetic, ophthalmic and fertility clinics plus expatriate general practice. Those are fine for what they are. They are not hospitals.
Before you fly
How to book, and what to have ready
The booking sequence that works
- Call the international desk directly — not the general switchboard, which will route you to a Chinese-language outpatient queue.
- Say which campus you want — large Chinese hospitals run several, and the international unit sits at one of them.
- State the problem, not the diagnosis — symptoms, duration, treatment so far. They route by department.
- Ask about direct billing before the visit — if your insurer is contracted, the desk needs the policy and an authorisation reference in advance, not on the day.
- Confirm the appointment in writing — you will be asked to show it at the entrance.
What to carry on the day
Passport, original — registration for foreign patients runs on the passport number.
Insurance card and authorisation reference — the reference is what makes direct billing work.
Prior imaging on disc — DICOM files. A phone photo of a screen cannot be measured or compared.
Alipay or WeChat Pay, funded — see the payment guide for the setup step most people get stuck on.
Realistic timing: the international department answers a 24-hour line and an email address, and can usually arrange an outpatient slot within days. Surgery takes longer — assessment, pre-operative tests, then a slot. If you are coming from Taiwan, the Chang Gung desk will talk you through both the hospital booking and the NHI paperwork in one call.
Getting in
Gaoqi today, Xiang’an from the end of 2026
Gaoqi International Airport (XMN) is inside the city and about 15 minutes from the Siming hospital district — the easiest airport transfer of any city on this site. That changes at the end of 2026, when Xiang’an International Airport opens on Dadeng island and Gaoqi closes. The new site is roughly 40 km east and adds a sea crossing.
| From | Best option | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gaoqi (XMN) — until end-2026 | Taxi or ride-hailing | 10–20 min to Siming | RMB 30–45 |
| Gaoqi (XMN) — until end-2026 | Metro Line 1 to Gaoqi station, then a short taxi | 25–35 min to Siming | Metro fare by distance |
| Xiang’an (new, from end-2026) | Airport express or metro connection, then taxi | 60–90 min to Siming | Check the operator tariff on opening |
| Xiamen North (HSR) | Metro Line 1 | 35–45 min to Siming | Metro fare by distance |
| Wutong ferry (Kinmen) | Taxi | 20–30 min to Siming | RMB 30–45 |
The one thing to check twice: from the end of 2026, flights use Xiang’an and Gaoqi closes. If your ticket says XMN and your hotel is in Siming, confirm the airport before you book the hotel — a 15-minute transfer becoming a 90-minute one is the kind of change that ruins a morning appointment.
Where to base yourself
Pick the district by the hospital, not by the view
We publish no hotel prices, because we cannot verify them from a source that stays true for more than a week. What we can tell you is which district puts you close to which hospital.
Siming — for the international department
The old island city: the two big hospitals, the university, the best hotels and the waterfront. Walkable in parts and the default base.
Haicang — for Chang Gung
Across the bay, quieter, with the Taiwan-invested hospital and cheaper hotels. Twenty to thirty minutes from Siming by bridge or metro.
Huli — for Fudan Zhongshan and the airport
The northern district, close to Gaoqi and to the Fudan-affiliated hospital. Convenient for a short trip.
Jimei — for the university town
Across the water to the north, pleasant and cheap, but a commute to every hospital on this page.
One seasonal detail: Xiamen’s typhoon season runs from July to September, and the city takes it seriously — ferries stop and flights get cancelled. If your treatment falls in that window, keep a spare day at each end and check the ferry status if you are coming from Kinmen.
The practical layer
Language, payment, and the card that works
Language. English works in the international department and at Chang Gung; elsewhere, less than the city’s tourist reputation suggests. Xiamen has a large Taiwanese business community, so Mandarin with a Taiwanese accent is common and interpretation is easy to arrange.
Payment. Alipay and WeChat Pay, funded before you travel; Chang Gung takes international cards at the counter. See the payment guide.
Getting around. The metro is clean and signed in English, and a bridge and metro link connect the island to Haicang. Ferries to Kinmen leave from Wutong. Ride-hailing works in English through Alipay.
The sequence
Your first 48 hours, in order
Day one — land and set up
1. Confirm which airport you landed at — this matters from late 2026 onwards, not before.
2. Get a local SIM or eSIM at the terminal; the hospital’s appointment confirmations assume a Chinese number.
3. If you are Taiwanese, ring the Chang Gung desk about NHI paperwork before treatment, not after.
4. Fund Alipay or WeChat Pay on wifi before you meet a cashier.
Day two — be seen
1. Go to building three, not the main outpatient hall. The international department has its own reception.
2. Bring your passport and prior imaging on disc, not a phone photo of a report.
3. Ask for the plan and the cost estimate in writing — both hospitals will produce one.
4. Collect copies of everything before you leave, per our records guide.
Questions we get
Short answers
Which airport do I fly into?
Until the end of 2026, Gaoqi (XMN), which is fifteen minutes from the hospitals. After that, Xiang’an, on Dadeng island, which is much further. Check the airport on your ticket, not the airport code alone.
Is the international department experienced enough?
It opened in June 2025 and reported more than 600 patients from 22 countries in its first year. That is solid for process and diagnostics. For rare surgery, ask about case volume and be ready to consider Shanghai.
How does Taiwan NHI reimbursement work?
Emergency treatment on the mainland can be claimed within six months of the visit, through the Taiwan NHI process. Chang Gung’s compatriot desk assembles and submits the documents for you. Elective treatment is generally not covered — confirm your own case.
Xiamen or Guangzhou?
Xiamen for a well-organised, English-speaking front door and a short trip; Guangzhou for depth in complex surgery and oncology. Four hours by high-speed rail connects them if you need both.
What about a visa?
Visa-free transit and the Fujian residence permits for Taiwanese travellers are separate schemes. Read the visa guide for your passport before booking.
Related guides
Read next
City guides
The same guide for other cities
- Beijing — PUMCH, China-Japan Friendship and the Chaoyang district option
- Shanghai — the deepest bench of public international departments in the country
- Guangzhou — the 1979 Huqiao wing, Sun Yat-sen First and Clifford
- Shenzhen — HKU-SZH’s international centre and the border-city advantage
- Chengdu — West China’s international centre and the deposit rule
- Chongqing — a purpose-built international ward in Jinshan, and forty specialties behind it
- Wuhan — Hubei’s first international outpatient department, on the ninth floor
- Changsha — three separate Xiangya hospitals and which one to pick
- Zhengzhou — a 2018 international centre, and the country’s biggest hospital next door
- Jinan — the provincial hospital’s appointment-only international floor
- Qingdao — a 2003 international clinic and a Korean-speaking nursing team
- Nanning — the ASEAN medical centre, and the cheapest gateway from Southeast Asia
- Fuzhou — heart and blood at the top level, an hour from Taipei
Not sure which city? Start with the hospital library, or read the travel guide before booking anything.
Sources for this page:
XMU Zhongshan — international medical department ·
XMU Zhongshan — international department, one year on ·
Xiamen Chang Gung — Taiwan patient service desk ·
airport, metro and railway operator timetables for the transport figures.
Airport times and fares are operator-published ranges or typical figures, and they change. Treat them as planning numbers, not quotations. Sources verified 1 November 2026.