Hospital Emergency Help in China - Rescue Card #8

How to use this card

Save the image to your phone before traveling. We recommend screenshotting all 12 rescue cards and saving them to a dedicated “China Travel” album on your phone, so they’re available offline.
Open the image the moment you realize the situation is a real medical emergency. Stay calm. Hand the card to the nearest person in scrubs or a white coat.
Show the Chinese text (top half of the card) to reception or triage. The pinyin is there as backup if they want to read it phonetically.
Read the English translation to understand their triage questions back to you.

“挂号在这边” (Register over here) — They want your passport so they can create a hospital file. Public hospitals require this before any treatment.
“先付钱” (Pay first) — Public hospitals in China require a upfront deposit (usually ¥500–5,000) before non-emergency treatment. For real emergencies, treatment starts before payment.
“叫翻译来” (I’ll call a translator) — Major city public hospitals (Tier 3) and international hospitals (e.g. Beijing United Family, Shanghai Jiahui) have English-speaking staff on call.
“需要住院吗？” (Do you need to be admitted?) — They’re asking whether to put you in a ward. Answer yes/no by pointing.

Dial 120 first for an ambulance — China’s emergency number. Operators in major cities speak basic English; say the city name and the word “hospital” and they’ll dispatch.
Major cities have international hospitals with full English support — these cost more (¥800–2,000 for a consultation) but they are smooth, foreigner-friendly, and accept international travel insurance. Search “international hospital” + your city name before you travel.
Save your travel insurance emergency hotline in your phone — call them before paying anything; they will direct you to the right hospital and often guarantee payment.
Have your passport and insurance card on you at all times — Chinese public hospitals will not start treatment without the passport being scanned into their system.
Screenshots work offline — make sure you have the image saved to your phone, not just bookmarked in a browser.

China Medical Tourism and Wellness — international hospitals, insurance, payment
China Travel Safety Guide — emergency contacts, what to keep on you
Essential Apps for China — apps that include English-language medical translation

If you cannot physically get to a hospital and the situation is life-threatening, this card won’t replace an ambulance. Instead:

Call 120 immediately — China’s ambulance number. They speak basic English in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen.
Call your travel insurance emergency line — they will dispatch English-speaking medical help and pre-authorize treatment so you don’t pay out of pocket.
Contact your embassy — embassies maintain a list of English- speaking doctors and can dispatch help in serious situations.
Ask your hotel concierge to drive you — most mid-range and upscale hotels have a 24-hour doctor-on-call arrangement with a partner hospital.