Pros/Cons of Chinese Public Hospitals: An Expat’s Perspective

[@xHiLLusion]

That aids story is insane omg 😳

[@AleeseLightyear]

VERY MUCH!

[@STRATLOB]

I've found that the medical and dental care in Chinese public hospitals is better than what I experienced in the UK and my home country. The only drawback I've encountered in China is the lack of privacy during consultations, which seems more of a cultural difference.

[@AleeseLightyear]

Glad to hear you've had good experiences. thanks for your comment!

[@randybednar9784]

the cultural difference only because of the number of patients

[@lizixiao5574]

@@randybednar9784very true

[@AleeseLightyear]

@@randybednar9784 I'm not sure if that is the only reason, but it is surely a big contributor

[@susieangelo6410]

Say what!? OMG, Aleese, you witnessed and was in the mix of things that's beyond words that I'm sitting here watching, listening and SMH furiously. Please take care of yourself out there and stay healthy and happy if that's possible... Sending a virtual hug: 🤗

[@mevans3291]

Your story caught me off guard😂😂😂😂😂 glad you sorted it out and was able to share it so others can mentally prepare

[@Shekumanstravel]

The Aid story is insane. I will be mad as hell if a doctor tells me such bad news knowing I don't have it.

[@AleeseLightyear]

Same! I was very mad....but now I think it makes for one hell of a story...that's why it's on my channel now!

[@TheGoldenDonuttt]

I guess the same can be said about hospitals in every country. Some good, some bad. Affordable healthcare in some countries...Ridiculously expensive in others.

[@hermesliteratus882]

Spot on.

[@AleeseLightyear]

💯 💯 💯 💯 Some are shit, some aren't!

[@rickace132]

I've been to some really shit hospitals here in the US.

[@Tinpinming]

i've been to a rural hospital in China, as well as one within the city center. frankly, i agree with the part on cleanliness and imo lacking of staff (well i did appear after hours). the rural ones weren't the cleanest nor most hygiene. but, they get the job done quite spiffily and i was out paying the very affordable hospital fees within 2 hours. as for the bigger city center hospital, it's a notch better but the crowd is maddening. i can forgive them being not as friendly as i'd like, but that's understandable.

[@AleeseLightyear]

Totally agree! Thanks for sharing!

[@hallyu2010]

this kinda thing happens in every country. Here in Brazil , we have a free healthcare system, but the public hospitals its too crowded and the doctors doenst have pacient anymore, some of them are pretty late in their jobs or even refused some patients. However, there are others doctors who are really good in their service and give support, so it depends which Hospitals or which doctors will help you, cuz in Brazil people died waiting in a queue just for waiting a doctor do give help, its sad but happened. In private hospital its totally different, everything look clean, and expensive Hahaha.

[@AleeseLightyear]

You're absolutely right-it's unfortunate that these kinds of situations occur in many countries. Overworked and tired healthcare professionals can lead to lapses in patient care, which is concerning no matter where you are. It's a sad reality that access to quality healthcare can vary greatly depending on the hospital or doctor you encounter. Thanks for sharing your perspective on the healthcare system in Brazil.

[@millennialx9044]

Girl this is the one area where I know China has to get better. Girl the Doctor there almost ruined my marriage. When we lived in Urumqi I went to the hospital for the first time with a foreign friend who spoke Mandarin. I had been feeling sick and went to do some tests. Something was up with the results so they gave me Chinese medicine for inflammation and antibiotics. When my husband came back from a 3 month long trip to Japan a few days later, I was still unwell so we went back to the hospital and saw the same doctor and he was like oh I'm sorry your still feeling poorly, he looks at the Chart and he was like lots of women feel unwell around the 6-8 week period of pregnancy. Mind you at this point I speak no Mandarin but my husband is fluent and he is looking at the doctor and then me with murder in his eyes and Im like what what, so my husband tells me Im 6 weeks pregnant and mind you he's been gone 3 months. I stood up and about flipped the desk I told that man you a mofo lie, gimme those papers ,sure enough there's a ultrasound and everything, my husband snatches it away and then was like aw fuck, and starts laughing he tells the doctor, the name on the test result is wrong, I have a Chinese last name and a first name with chinese equivalent. The nurse had mixed up the charts when she gave them to the doctor, turns out I had strep, I can laugh now but Im like this mofo almost got me deleted. From that point on I only go to hospitals in China with foreigners on staff. Its tedious to hunt them down but necessary if you want to have a good relationship with a medical professional there. That nervous laughter shyt that some people do in serious situations I know is a nervous tick but my goodness it's so annoying.

[@AleeseLightyear]

Wow, that sounds like such a traumatic and anxiety-inducing situation! I'm relieved to hear that you can laugh about it now, but it must have been incredibly stressful in the moment. Thanks for sharing your experience-cus ppl love to say that our negative experiences are just lies...

[@millennialx9044]

@@AleeseLightyear People like that don't usually care about the truth, they just want to be "right". The hospital experience wasn't the only crazy experience we had, we unfortunately arrived in western China, Urumqi when the terrorists were acting up!!!! Stabbings, running cars into crowds, all kinds of crazy stuff, but when the b@mbed the train station and I thought my husband was inside when it happened I was done, when he called to tell me he had missed his usual train and would be late I turned in a blubbering baby. I told him either you get your job to transfer us to another city or I'm going back to the US. So we moved to Shenzhen, and a couple other cities until we ended up in Dalian. From that point on life in China was amazing, but those first 3 years were a gauntlet. After the national government took control of the situation things improved fast, we went to visit Friends there in 2019 for a wedding and it was like night and day,

[@KenzoTenmaM]

This video is so timely it’s insane - I actually just cut off my trip to China early and returned home yesterday to Australia. I cut the trip short because my and my girlfriend fell sick and our experience in the hospital was appalling. For context, I’m a black dude, a doctor and live in Australia. My girlfriend was born in Australia but is ethnically Chinese and speaks Chinese. What I saw in the hospitals was just terrifying. Staff didn’t care. People literally laying on the dirty floor writhing in pain and people crying on the phone to family to send them money for medication. I was so grateful to get to work in this hospital system here in Australia after seeing what I saw. If I’m being honest to add the racism I saw and experienced there I don’t think I’ll ever visit China again, despite how beautiful it is and how lovely some people were.

[@RoyFJ65]

For the number of patients it has to handle Chinese system works far better than what I get here in US with 1/4 the number of people and wait till you go to Africa or India.

[@AleeseLightyear]

I think for the amount of patients that come in and out of hospitals, they do their best.

[@rickace132]

I think all public hospitals are like this, everywhere. I went to one in the US, not for me, but for a friend, it was horrible. Understaffed, long wait time. The Doctors seemed like they all got C's medical school. This is a good reminder to stay healthy and don't get hurt. For me, I haven't been to a hospital in about 15 years. Last time it was in 2011, for something minor. Never been to a hospital even for a simple check up since. I'll only go if there is an emergency.

[@luozifan1965]

I went to a medical school in China and I will tell you that public hospitals always have more professional doctors and manners.(That's where the top medical students work) The rude thing was generally the norm. When I was young, I went to hospital a lot and that was when 20 to 30 patients were in the same room waiting as others went through every check, no privacy at all. I guess it was a over-population problem? Now it is at least a step up if you visit most top tier public hospitals. The doctors would lock the door or there would be a screen telling you whose turn it is. I don't know if you could do public hospitals as an expat but ALWAYS go to public ones in my experience.

[@who52au]

Here in ( Sydney ) Australia and in USA ( Los Angles ) the waiting time in a Hospital to see see a Doctor is in ER ( for all public ) , the normal waiting time is between 3 - 4 + hrs , much longer time at the weekend Friday / Saturday a,Sunday and public holidays , . unless if you openly bleeding / collapse onto the floor . so a trip to the local hospital is almost a full day .

[@ethanchen8936]

i understand and felt sorry abt ur situation u have gone through. Lots of hospital may do not have room for privacy but the situation r improving. Also, I have to say based on living in Vancouver, Canada for 8 years, I could say the efficiency and cost r so affordable in China. Also, the doctors r more professional in average than Canada compared to big cities in China. And easy to book appointments in China. Lots of friends would back to China for the medical treatment rather than Canada. I think if u do a little bit research in Chinese social medias, u will know which hospital is good for ur symptoms and u can choose which doctor u wanna see. The biggest difficulty for foreigners, I think is the language barrier. If u r good at Chinese, lots of difficulties will disappear. So for these ppl who r not good at mandarin, I always suggest them take someone who can speak mandarin when they need to go to hospital.

[@cynthiacater5825]

As a retired Nurse, this is shocking about invading patients privacy by exposing them during a procedure. That is quite appalling. The female doctor is very racist and predujice------Imagine making a statement that all black people have HIV AIDS. So she wanted to justify her incompetence by trying to convince you that you have the disease. WOW.

[@malcolm1896]

Wowwwwww. I commend you for not cussing the doctor out.

[@AleeseLightyear]

I was too sick for all that!

[@yanie3000]

Ohhh girlll, the AIDS story would’ve had me looking for a way to sue cause AIN’T NO WAY!!

[@pengzhang5081]

起诉美国🇺🇸 是美国🇺🇸释放的病毒🦠 不然为何古代没有 直到美国🇺🇸人研究开始 艾滋病毒就开始蔓延全世界

[@AleeseLightyear]

Sue who? I was just trying to get my meds for my correct illness and go!

[@FREETIME911]

Am from Southeast Asia, the majority of hospitals are not clean unless you go to private hospitals for the rich!

[@genocidegrand2057]

11:00 on that booty thing remember chinese toilet used to not to have any separator just a few years ago or any door at all. so if you gonna go poop you can see each other ass. i think it gets better now but just 10 years ago this is a thing.

[@reeedeee321]

I've had general rather negative experience with the international department of the Chinese Japanese friendship hospital, they like to prescribe expensive Chinese medicine that doesn't do anything. My experience with the Peking Union hospital is so much more positive, the doctors are professional, to the point, and speaks so much better English.

[@jont2576]

i dont blame them, the pressure in hospitals and healthcare system in most countries is already insane, imagine living in a country with 1.4 billion people.

[@hermesliteratus882]

The number of patients they have to attend to on a daily basis is maddening.

[@rickace132]

That's why scientists in China right now are researching AI to implement them in hospitals in the future. I think the second half of this year, they will start using AI to diagnose patients. This will lift a huge weight off the shoulders of doctors, because it could take a long time to figure out what is wrong with a person. The researcher team said AI doctors they are using can treat 10,000 patients in just a few days-a task that would take humans at least two years to complete. If they can multiple this AI, they will be able to treat millions at a time. This would greatly make work in the medical field in China, cheaper, faster and more efficient.

[@gabymlogo]

Patient confidentiality is absolutely nonexistent 😂 CRAZY man. Also the racial ignorance had my jaw on the floor

[@AleeseLightyear]

nonexistent!!

[@FonKii]

Let me share you a story about an “international” hospital I went to in Suzhou. I had unusually bad stomach pain in the middle of the night around 3am. The pain got so bad that my boyfriend had to drag me to the closest hospital which was that hospital. Once we get there I’m rolling around practically screaming at this point because the pain was so bad but they couldn’t help with any pain reliever or anything because their only English speaking doctor wouldn’t be in until 9am and they didn’t wanna give me meds if they couldn’t communicate to me directly. All they could provide me was a room so I could scream my lungs off. That was literally the worst pain I’ve ever experienced in my life and it got worst by the time the 9am doctor arrived. Turned out it was a passing kidney stone (which I’ve never had before) and I couldn’t walk for the next 10 hours due to the pain. ARGH Anyway that was suppose to be one of the best international hospital in Suzhou but apparently none of their ER team can speak English 😀 Since the whole zero covid fiasco, I’ve escaped China and never looked back since ✌️ Never have I ever felt unsafe and treated inhumanely like when I lived there…

[@lovefromhuang]

try it in America, you need book 2 months inadvance😂 and charge you $2K

[@FonKii]

@@lovefromhuang this was an emergency situation so I’m pretty sure I can be seen immediately in the US (went to one before in Alabama in college) but of course the cost was much higher without insurance which is pretty much expected but thankfully I had health insurance

[@raymondlianto9882]

Thanks for sharing your hospital story.

[@carpediem44]

I love your hair ❤ and what Fd up stories. jfc...

[@AleeseLightyear]

Thanks!

[@johnnychannel7824]

I love her hair too

[@ITeachChinese]

As for the doctor who got your name wrong, just expose his name and department, and they will give you an explanation or compensation, and they will also resolve it through legal means. You may have misunderstood the payment for each diagnosis you mentioned later. Chinese hospitals, whether public or private, require you to deposit money before admission. Usually the hospital will give you a card, which contains your identity information and amount deposited. When you receive treatment for different items in different departments, the money will be automatically deducted. When the money is not enough, the doctor will prompt you to deposit money. When you are finally discharged from the hospital, you will show your social security card and make the final settlement according to the scope of social security reimbursement. If you have no social security but only insurance, then the insurance company will reimburse you based on the invoices issued to you for your expenses in the hospital.

[@AleeseLightyear]

This happened in 2019. I wasn't aware of what I could have done to get any type of compensation. I appreciate your throughout comment that explains how to seek resolution if there is an issue like this.

[@petey9712]

The long line up with multiple people is so true. I once went to the hospital in China for a check up bc I was having a 39.7 c fever and one of the patients there said that she has diabetes when the doctor was asking for history. I did ask the doctor to kick everyone out bc I don't comfortable, which ashe did kick outher patients out, so I think you just need to ask. I fluent in chinese, so I am differnt. I suggest 301 hospital have some of the best doctors and the professionalism is pretty good.

[@AleeseLightyear]

Thank you for sharing your experience and for the helpful suggestion! It's important to advocate for our own comfort and well-being, especially in medical settings. I'm glad to hear that the doctor was able to accommodate your request.

[@MirandaBailey-01]

Guurllllll that story was WILD😡 I can't even!!! Btw, have you come across foreigners who work in Chinese hospitals( international or not).

[@WQHK-JW]

I spent 17 days in ICU when putting ing the breathing tude they broke all my front upper teeth out to force the hose down my throat.

[@AleeseLightyear]

I'm so sorry to hear about your experience in the ICU. That sounds incredibly painful and difficult to go through. I hope you have since received the care and support you needed to recover from such a traumatic ordeal.

[@opaljohnson4762]

Congratulations on your pole moves. You did good. love it

[@AleeseLightyear]

Thank you!! It's so damn tough but I'm really enjoying the progress I'm making

[@RachelWaille]

Incredible story!! Couldn’t stop laughing although it’s not so funny when you think about how you must have felt at that moment

[@AleeseLightyear]

🤣🤣 It's hilarious to look back on!

[@Star-nb1jk]

I’m in the USA 🇺🇸 I’m 6 months pregnant looking to have my baby in China 🇨🇳 where do I start?

[@AleeseLightyear]

I have no idea. I know where not t start---my YT comments 🤣

[@lex-1108]

I think it's best to refuse the "Chinese" medicine that the doctor prescribes. Most of these medicines haven't been tested by modern science, and their side effects and contraindications are often listed as unclear. Generally, Chinese doctors will prescribe "western" medicine to treat your illness and "Chinese" medicine for the extra commission. You could say you're allergic to "Chinese" medicine or just that you don't want it.

[@munangiwaC]

I’d faint if I’m told that I have AIDS in this country!!

[@AleeseLightyear]

‼️‼️‼️

[@rogerhill933]

WOW THAT SOUNDS CRAZY 😮

[@AleeseLightyear]

It was!

[@Hamoodn]

End of video, u said that, We can talk to u. How can we do that ? I'm moving to Beijing with my family at the end of May 2024 and I have lot of concerns about medical care, especially for my wife

[@AleeseLightyear]

calendly.com/aleeselightyear/30min Book a consultation with me here

[@jennypaxson3030]

What were you sick with in the aids scenario. Did you ever get your results? Did you go somewhere else?

[@AleeseLightyear]

Never got any real answers about what I was sick with. They gave me a bunch of meds. I took them and got better really slowly. I was horribly sick for 3 weeks. In hindsight, it was probably an early case of Covid or some covid like illness-- cus I had all of those symptoms. But this was December 2019, no such thing as Covid at that time.

[@tashs949]

Any info about psychiatric care there for expats? Specifically looking at Hangzhou

[@AleeseLightyear]

I honestly have no idea

[@uwanttono4012]

That's a very honest assessment of Chinese hospitals Aleese and imho is what I experienced (apart from the AIDS fiasco story, lol)!

[@AleeseLightyear]

Thanks for saying it's HONEST! Lots of weird haters love to disagree.

[@Hamoodn]

This happened in Beijing or Chengu ? Im coming to Beijing at the end of May 2024. Ur hospital stories made me scared now :(

[@AleeseLightyear]

Happened in Beijing in 2019

[@elsaz8783]

Hi i don't usually comment but let me say this. You are a courageous young lady, i am happy that this horrible experience did not deter your determination to further explore China. That hospital is generally a very reputable hospital. China did not take Japan's attemp of compensation for its war time crime during WWII, (nor could japan ever repay) , thus after China and Japan reestablished diplomatic relationship, Japan donated money to build this hospital, which was very modernized at the time. To commemorate this, it was named China Japan Friendship Hospital. Generally speaking the hospital is very good. Honestly you should not go to that international department at all. I suspect that the quasi doctor got in because he can speak English albeit not good at all at it, not because he was good at medicine. That was a disgrace. Believe me, most doctors are much more better. My mom just got a dental work done there, the dentists are very professional. My dad also just got a mole removed for $2. Living in USA, i am also very wary about the blatant disregard of patients privacy. Thanks for sharing!

[@fdoctor79]

Girl, I know you're LYING! 😮😅 How do you mistake test results, when the doctor doesn't speak English, and has the nerve to be biased?!! Whew, Chile!!!! 😂 Thank God for his divine protection and grace over you. Sorry to hear about the other horror stories. Tfs

[@AleeseLightyear]

We can laugh at it now, cus it was by far the wildest shit everrrrrr

[@CNPopStar]

But, why put a photo of a temporary hospital during the epidemic as the cover?

[@AleeseLightyear]

Changed it

[@bayernfan9557]

The sound volume of this episode is too low...

[@victoronzere66]

After being in China. I can say these people gotta get outside and see the world. They see the world through some weird lense... and there's a ton of prejudice.

[@AleeseLightyear]

Yeaaaa I think sometimes people confuse stereotypes with facts

[@elsaz8783]

My father removed a mole for 2 dollars

[@blittercopper]

thanks for your input

[@AleeseLightyear]

You bet!

[@kychow1095]

加油加油，一直努力下去

[@kamuplayqueen8934]

What is the chines health check up like for teaching what if you work from home.

[@STRATLOB]

You need it for the visa

[@AleeseLightyear]

visa requirement if you come to china to work

[@MatteoLonghi7]

lack of privacy is also my biggest fear, whenever I go into a doctor's office, there are always people around, and it makes me not want to share my condition with the doctor.

[@AleeseLightyear]

totally agree. I hope more hospitals begin to prioritize privacy more

[@kyla_vina9410]

These stories are insane omg

[@AleeseLightyear]

Insane indeed

[@biaten]

The sound of the video is very low.

[@AleeseLightyear]

thanks for telling me!

[@AbdulAli-ku9he]

OMG

[@DJacksonAfter]

My friend is adamant no matter what I say. Please tell me which hospital you went to and where.

[@AleeseLightyear]

I said it in the video. This happened 2019 in Beijing at the China Japan Friendship hospital.

[@DJacksonAfter]

Where are you in China? I'm in Hubei province in a place called Enshi. I was looking at your video with a Chinese friend and she says she doesn't believe you. As an American I can tell you that stereotypes do persist in China. Although it sounds improbable because for the most part, China has a decent medical system. However, I found that they are limited in terms of what they are able to do. Because they don't have the relevant information that doctors and institutions have outside of China.

[@AleeseLightyear]

I think nothing is improbable in this country or any. Mistakes, misdiagnosis and all other types of things can happen. I agree that the medical system is very decent for the most part, and think I highlighted that as well in this video.

[@rickace132]

Dude, a Chinese surgeon just performed surgery on a person in Beijing from Rome. China is also testing a worlds first AI hospital.

[@Kyuestma]

❤

[@pollylu6733]

all international hospitals in China are private hospitals. Drs' attitude towards patients are improving. It wasn't very good some 30-40 years ago. May have something to do with the workload, the sheer amount of visitors they have to treat or see. About privacy, it takes time to educate people. it's very much to do with the Chinese culture for thousands for years. If you have friends can speak Chinese, just go to the public hospital. They're efficient and have a lot of experiences to get you the right treatment 90% of the time. It's not true that public hospitals don't have western medicines. Nowadays public hospital have nearly all the western commonly used prescriptions drugs, as well as Chinese traditional medicine. All meds have description on what they treat and how to take them. It's not true that Chinses DRs or nurses don't ware gloves to handle test specimens. They care about own health and wellbeing's great deal. Possibly the cleaning staff. I visited Chinese public hospital just 1 month ago when i visited there. Also, an advice is don't go to famous big hospitals as they're always crowed by people from all over the country. go to local area hospitals are sufficient. If they can't treat your problem, they'll tell you where to go next.

[@AleeseLightyear]

Thank you for sharing your insights and experiences with healthcare in China. It's encouraging to hear that there have been improvements in doctors' attitudes towards patients over the years....these things take a loooooong time.

[@priscillaferguson267]

I'm so sorry that you had to go through all of that. As much as I like China, clearly, it's time for you to leave. In considering another country have you thought about going to Malaysia or Indonesia to teach? I found both countries also very appealing to live.

[@AleeseLightyear]

It's clearly time for me to leave? Curious to know what makes you think that?

[@priscillaferguson267]

@@AleeseLightyear 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Just guessing by your expressions and the frustration in your voice.

[@8Madda]

just stories, sound like jokes really

[@AleeseLightyear]

hahhaha it's all a joke until it happens to you!🤣🤣🤣 But I think I'm a decent story teller and they are all very humors but equally F-ed up

[@8Madda]

@@AleeseLightyear 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 after covid19 vaccines people are acting really strange the truth is not important anymore. and we are all trying to escape our anxieties by creating scenarios that are awful

[@МаринаМанджиева-э9р]

Я не понимаю что ты говоришь но видео хорошее 😊😊😊😊😊удачи тебе

[@he-him-his]

😮 🇺🇸

[@LoveTeaZhang]

只是基层工作人员背负了所有成本和压力

[@GreenFrog1450]

这只是个踩一捧一的广告

[@AleeseLightyear]

It's not

[@tailslapexplore6887]

Lesson learned now you'll cherish life more than ever 🤗🤗🤗🤗

[@AleeseLightyear]

hahahah 100%

[@ethanchen8936]

i understand and felt sorry abt ur situation u have gone through. Lots of hospital may do not have room for privacy but the situation r improving. Also, I have to say based on living in Vancouver, Canada for 8 years, I could say the efficiency and cost r so affordable in China. Also, the doctors r more professional in average than Canada compared to big cities in China. And easy to book appointments in China. Lots of friends would back to China for the medical treatment rather than Canada. I think if u do a little bit research in Chinese social medias, u will know which hospital is good for ur symptoms and u can choose which doctor u wanna see. The biggest difficulty for foreigners, I think is the language barrier. If u r good at Chinese, lots of difficulties will disappear. So for these ppl who r good at mandarin, I always suggest them take someone who can speak mandarin when they need to go to hospital.

[@AleeseLightyear]

Thanks for your input! All very good tips!