Why International Celebrities Are Flying to Chengdu for Medical Treatment

From a Thai Consul General to a Canadian doctor, this city’s medical appeal is reshaping the global medical tourism landscape

In the autumn of 2025, Sak Nothaisong, Thailand’s Consul General in Chengdu, underwent cataract surgery at Chengdu Aidi Eye Hospital.

This was no ordinary procedure. As a diplomat, Sak could easily have sought treatment at one of Thailand’s top hospitals, or even arranged to return home for surgery. But he chose to stay in Chengdu.

“I trust the doctors here,” Sak said after the operation. His vision improved from 0.04 to 0.8, and the entire process took just three days. After being discharged, his first order of business was writing a thank‑you letter to the hospital; his second was posting a photo of himself holding a giant panda cub at the Chengdu Research Base.

Sak is neither the first international figure to seek medical care in Chengdu, nor will he be the last.

From Emergency Care to Destination Medicine

More than two years ago, a Canadian doctor brought his daughter, who had a pancreatic tumor, to Ruijin Hospital in Shanghai. In Canada, surgeons had told him that the operation was extremely risky and that preserving her spleen would be nearly impossible. At Ruijin, a robot‑assisted minimally invasive procedure not only removed the tumor but also kept her spleen intact.

“As a fellow physician, I know what that means,” the Canadian doctor later told the media.

Stories like these are now unfolding frequently in Chengdu.

In 2025, data released by the Chengdu Municipal Health Commission showed that the number of foreign patients seeking medical care in the city increased by 38.4% year‑on‑year. This is not merely a matter of volume; it reflects a fundamental shift — from visitors falling ill while traveling to people coming specifically for medical treatment.

At the International Medical Department of West China Hospital, an American patient suffering from chronic lower back pain arrived after years of unsuccessful treatments in the United States. The pain had been so persistent that he had all but given up hope. Ultimately, the West China Rehabilitation Center used ultrasound‑guided precision regenerative therapy to help him get back on his feet within a week.

Four tourists from Kazakhstan flew to Chengdu together and headed straight to Jinniu District Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital — to experience bone setting and moxibustion. One of them wrote on social media: “Western medicine told me surgery was the only option. TCM helped me avoid the knife in just one month.”

Why Chengdu?

Efficiency, Technology, and Culture — A Triple Convergence

Chengdu’s appeal begins with the efficiency of China’s medical system. In Europe and the United States, the average wait time for an MRI scan is often two to three months. At Chengdu’s leading hospitals, foreign patients typically wait just two to three days from booking to completion. The cost differential is equally striking: an MRI in the U.S. averages $1,800; in Chengdu, the price is less than one‑tenth of that.

But efficiency is only part of the story. What truly draws international patients to Chengdu is the city’s unique integration of healthcare with tourism and culture.

A patient from Singapore, after completing post‑operative rehabilitation at Mount Qingcheng, sent a message to the hospital: “Doing my rehab next to a waterfall — it’s the most healing experience of my life.”

Chengdu is home to 14 tertiary hospitals, with West China Hospital consistently ranking among the top three nationwide. The city boasts nationally recognized traditional Chinese medicine resources — the Jinniu District TCM Hospital now serves patients from as far away as Central Asia. More than 3,000 “wellness plus travel” packages have been booked, turning medical check‑ups into an extension of travel.

Enabling all of this is the steady expansion of visa‑free policies since 2024: 240‑hour transit‑without‑visa, Hainan’s 59‑country visa‑free access, Sichuan’s 144‑hour transit‑without‑visa — these measures have dramatically reduced the decision‑making cost for international patients. Consul General Sak once remarked publicly: “Without the visa‑free policy, I probably wouldn’t have thought of having surgery here.”

A New Destination

In September 2025, the first International Medical Service Training Program was held in Chengdu. Healthcare administrators from countries along the Belt and Road — including Thailand and Turkey — gathered to learn from China’s experience in internationalizing medical services. West China Hospital, as the host institution, has already trained 76 healthcare professionals from 22 countries, exporting China’s expertise in minimally invasive surgery and telemedicine.

China‑developed heart valve technology has been adopted in Turkey; hospitals in Indonesia have established remote consultation channels with West China Hospital; and Chengdu‑made traditional Chinese medicine products attracted buyers from around the globe at the 2025 Western China International Fair for Health and Wellness.

This is not a one‑way flow of patients coming in — it is also a story of expertise going out.

After his surgery, Consul General Sak presented Chengdu Aidi Eye Hospital with a banner that read: “Superb Medical Skill, Warmhearted Service.” When a friend asked him what it was like to undergo surgery in Chengdu, he replied: “It felt like being at home — except that outside the window, you see pandas.”

Perhaps that sums up why more and more international figures are choosing Chengdu for medical care: it offers not only world‑class medical expertise but also a warmth that puts people at ease.

From a Thai consul general to visitors from Kazakhstan, from a Canadian doctor to a patient from Singapore, Chengdu is no longer just a tourist destination. It is becoming a new coordinate on the global healthcare map.

And this is only the beginning.