Gulf states lure Chinese medical tourists with visa-free travel, other perks

Some hospitals even offer traditional Chinese medicine.

Middle Eastern countries are pulling out all the stops in an attempt to attract Chinese medical tourists, challenging leaders such as Japan, Thailand and Singapore.

For instance, Qatar has rolled out visa-free travel for China to attract patients, the South China Morning Post reports.

This is a key selling point over other destinations with restrictive visa rules. For instance, medical travellers in Japan are required to secure a medical stay visa with the help of an approved third party organisation.

“We have already seen a steady influx of patients who previously went to the European Union for treatment,” said Shujahat Shah, an international health consultant at Sidra Medicine, a partnership between the government-funded Qatar Foundation and New York-based Weill Cornell Medical College.

Meanwhile, Dubai’s Healthcare City has recently announced a partnership with a Macau-based health care provider to offer traditional Chinese medicine services.

The Gulf states, however, will have to grapple with a lingering reputation for being places where residents travel abroad for care if they can.