Island holds all the aces for health tourism

Lecheng, with its 700-year history, was chosen in 2013 to become the country's first pilot zone of a world-class international medical tourism center, a low-carbon community and a meeting center for international organizations.

Five medical services have started trial operations in Lecheng and more than 20 others are under construction.

"The main businesses of these projects, covering around 130 hectares and attracting investment of 22.8 billion yuan ($3.3 billion), involve treatment of tumors, plastic surgery, anti-aging services, cutting-edge medical technology research, health management and rehabilitation," said Lin Ping, deputy director of the zone's administration office.

He said another 36 projects have passed medical technology appraisals and in total the administration has talked with developers of 94 high-end medical and healthcare projects, with a potential total investment of 60 billion yuan.

Equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and served by a cluster of high-end medical professionals, the zone, surrounded by the lush tropical scenery of the Wanquan River - nicknamed China's Amazon - and catering to patients from around the country and overseas, will be able to receive 5 million tourists a year when all the projects are completed in about five years, according to Lin.

The State has granted a number of preferential policies to the pilot zone to develop an international medical tourism model for the country's healthcare industry and turn the island into a medical tourist and vacation paradise.

Under the policies, foreign companies will be able to set up medical organizations in the zone and foreign doctors will be allowed to practice there for up to three years.