Desperation, money drive patients abroad

In December 2014, Xue travelled to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. After a high-precision biopsy, she was told that there were several types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and that treatment for the type she was suffering from had a higher success rate because the cancer cells were slow growing.

Xue underwent precision chemotherapy and the doctor said the possibility of a relapse in the next 10 years was less than 10 percent.

Xue was assisted in finding treatment by Saint Lucia Consulting. Its services included translating her medical records, making an appointment with the hospital, and providing companionship and language assistance during the treatment.

Established in 2011, Saint Lucia is one of China's largest consultancies for cross-border medical services, and has contractual long-term partnerships with dozens of the world's best hospitals in the United States, Germany, Britain and other countries.

Saint Lucia Consulting received only two cases in its first year, but now helps more than 500 Chinese get medical treatment abroad each year. CEO and founder Cai Qiang says the growth rate is beyond his expectations.

"Traveling abroad, studying overseas and even immigration are now common for Chinese, but when it comes to seeking medical treatment abroad, they are not convinced. Healthcare is very technical for ordinary people, and even wealthy patients are unaware of the option of seeking treatment abroad," Cai says.

With the globalization of healthcare and growing numbers of Chinese celebrities such as Olympic athlete Liu Xiang seeking treatment abroad, more Chinese are realizing that they can also seek world-class medical care.

According to China's National Cancer Prevention and Research Center, the five-year survival rate of Chinese patients is around 30 percent, half that of cancer patients in the United States. Besides lower standards of care, patients' complaints about Chinese hospitals include long waiting times, lengthy diagnoses and impatient doctors. The advanced medical technologies and friendlier medical services in developed countries appeal to the Chinese.

"As there are family doctors and an advanced hierarchical medical system in the US, only those with rare diseases are sent to world-renowned medical institutions, which are not overloaded with people like Chinese hospitals," Cai says.