In case of emergency
Where to find medical help
Even concrete lions get chipped teeth.
It’s no fun getting sick on vacation, especially when you’re visiting a place where your native language, be it English or something else, is not widely spoken. Because so many expats live in Beijing, visitors will find help is more readily available than they might think.
Several facilities specialize in serving the international community of expatriates and travelers. Others are Chinese hospitals which have wings to serve the foreign community. A variety of languages, from English to Farsi, are spoken at these facilities. Some offer 24-hour care.
The clinics are usually one-stop medical care for patients, and offer everything from physician services to diagnostic imaging and pharmacy services to dental care. Many facilities employ physicians from other countries who not only are approved physicians in their home countries but have undergone examinations to meet Chinese standards of professional health care.
The facilities also serve Chinese citizens who prefer Western medical care.
The U.S. Embassy in Beijing maintains a list of medical facilities with English-speaking staff throughout China on its website. In a disclaimer, the embassy says it is not responsible for the professional ability of the facilities.
Here are some facilities which cater to foreigners in Beijing; at least two provide emergency evacuations.
Several facilities specialize in serving the international community of expatriates and travelers. Others are Chinese hospitals which have wings to serve the foreign community. A variety of languages, from English to Farsi, are spoken at these facilities. Some offer 24-hour care.
The clinics are usually one-stop medical care for patients, and offer everything from physician services to diagnostic imaging and pharmacy services to dental care. Many facilities employ physicians from other countries who not only are approved physicians in their home countries but have undergone examinations to meet Chinese standards of professional health care.
The facilities also serve Chinese citizens who prefer Western medical care.
The U.S. Embassy in Beijing maintains a list of medical facilities with English-speaking staff throughout China on its website. In a disclaimer, the embassy says it is not responsible for the professional ability of the facilities.
Here are some facilities which cater to foreigners in Beijing; at least two provide emergency evacuations.
- International Medical Center: Located behind Lufthansa Center on Third Ring Road; phone (010) 6465-1561/2/3, 24 hours. It is one of the oldest clinics serving foreigners in Beijing.
- Beijing United Family Hospital: phone (010) 6433-3960/1/2/4/5. Opened in 1997 by an American company, it has a 24-hour emergency room staffed by expats.
- Vista Clinic: Located in the Kerry Center Shopping Mall; phone (010) 8529-6618. It also provides dental care.
- Sino-Japanese Friendship Hospital: Located on HePingLi in northeast Beijing; phone (010) 6422-2965; 6422.1122. This is one of Beijing’s major hospitals.
- Bayley and Jackson Medical Center: Located near Ritan Park; phone (010) 8562-9998. It was founded in 1958 to provide dental care, but has since expanded into such practices as obstetrics, pediatrics and optometry.
- International SOS: phone (010) 6462-9112, (010) 6462-9100 emergency hotline. In addition to providing evacuations for medical purposes, SOS operates an outpatient clinic.
- MEDEX Assistance Corporation: phone (010) 6595-8510. MEDEX offers travelers health insurance that includes medical evacuations in emergencies.
Are shots needed?The U.S. Center for Disease Control recommends travelers be current on routine vaccinations, regardless of where they’re going.
China hands generally recommend travelers be current on tetanus shots and be vaccinated for Hepatitis A. But medical precautions really depend on where you’re going in China The CDC maintains a page on its website that talks about health for travelers to China. |
U.S. EmbassyThe U.S. Embassy in Beijing is located at No. 55 An Jia Lou Lu. You will be asked to show your passport and go through security when you visit.
The United States also operates consulates throughout China:
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Traveler's first-aid kit
No one expects to get sick or hurt when traveling, but the unexpected can happen. This is why the U.S. Center for Disease Control recommends travelers pack a health kit.
Properly supplied, the travel first-aid kit should get travelers through most minor emergencies without making a visit to a hospital emergency room where communication can be difficult if a language barrier exists.
Contents of the travel kit should be geared to the traveler’s destination, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) says. Other factors to be considered include the length of the trip, type of travel and any pre-existing medical conditions.
The CDC says travelers with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes or allergies to medications should consider wearing an alert bracelet, and keep a note in their wallet and with their other travel documents. Travelers may want to consider having this list translated into the language of the country they'll be visiting to avoid something getting lost in translation when a non-native English speaker reads the note.
Travel health kits can be purchased commercially or travelers can make up their own “first-aid kit for the road.”
Here’s what the CDC recommends for those who want to make up their own travel health kits/ However, you should let your own personal situation, including your destination and what you'll do there, dictate what you put in your kit. If you include everything the CDC recommends, the pack may be hefty; some of the items may be available in your hotel's gift shop or at a nearby pharmacy. You might want to include only those items you could absolutely, posistively not live without if you couldn't find them locally. (Please note I'm not a doctor and therefore not qualified to give medical advice, but this is what I do.)
Medications
* Personal prescriptions in original containers. Those taking controlled substances or injectable medications, such as insulin, should have their doctor write a note on his letterhead stationery.
* Antimalarial medications, if applicable
* Over-the-counter diarrheal medications as well as an antiobiotic for more severe diarrhea
* Antihistamine or decongestant, or a combination of the two
* Motion sickness medication, if applicable
* Over-the-counter pain reliever
* Mild laxative
* Cough suppressant/expectorant, throat lozenges
* Antacid
* Antifungal or antibacterial creams or ointments such as 1% hydrocortisone cream
Other items
* Insect repellent, if applicable
* Sunscreen
* Sunburn ointment
* Digital thermometer
*Oral rehydration solution packets
* Basic first-aid items such as bandages, gauze, scissors, ace wrap and antiseptic ointment
* Hand sanitizer (Note: this or Baby Wipes are good to carry inyour purse or backpack once at your destination for washing hands before meals or after using the bathroom.)
* Moleskin for blisters
* Lubricating eye drops
* First-aid quick reference card
Properly supplied, the travel first-aid kit should get travelers through most minor emergencies without making a visit to a hospital emergency room where communication can be difficult if a language barrier exists.
Contents of the travel kit should be geared to the traveler’s destination, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) says. Other factors to be considered include the length of the trip, type of travel and any pre-existing medical conditions.
The CDC says travelers with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes or allergies to medications should consider wearing an alert bracelet, and keep a note in their wallet and with their other travel documents. Travelers may want to consider having this list translated into the language of the country they'll be visiting to avoid something getting lost in translation when a non-native English speaker reads the note.
Travel health kits can be purchased commercially or travelers can make up their own “first-aid kit for the road.”
Here’s what the CDC recommends for those who want to make up their own travel health kits/ However, you should let your own personal situation, including your destination and what you'll do there, dictate what you put in your kit. If you include everything the CDC recommends, the pack may be hefty; some of the items may be available in your hotel's gift shop or at a nearby pharmacy. You might want to include only those items you could absolutely, posistively not live without if you couldn't find them locally. (Please note I'm not a doctor and therefore not qualified to give medical advice, but this is what I do.)
Medications
* Personal prescriptions in original containers. Those taking controlled substances or injectable medications, such as insulin, should have their doctor write a note on his letterhead stationery.
* Antimalarial medications, if applicable
* Over-the-counter diarrheal medications as well as an antiobiotic for more severe diarrhea
* Antihistamine or decongestant, or a combination of the two
* Motion sickness medication, if applicable
* Over-the-counter pain reliever
* Mild laxative
* Cough suppressant/expectorant, throat lozenges
* Antacid
* Antifungal or antibacterial creams or ointments such as 1% hydrocortisone cream
Other items
* Insect repellent, if applicable
* Sunscreen
* Sunburn ointment
* Digital thermometer
*Oral rehydration solution packets
* Basic first-aid items such as bandages, gauze, scissors, ace wrap and antiseptic ointment
* Hand sanitizer (Note: this or Baby Wipes are good to carry inyour purse or backpack once at your destination for washing hands before meals or after using the bathroom.)
* Moleskin for blisters
* Lubricating eye drops
* First-aid quick reference card
Contact Cheryl
Copyright 2012 by Cheryl Probst. All rights reserved.
Copyright 2012 by Cheryl Probst. All rights reserved.