At least 3,000 people went to the US for medical reasons from Shanghai Customs alone in 2013, according to Fan Tailai, general manager of MEGA Healthcare.
"The actual number should be more than that. As newvisas are valid for 10 years, people can go on a medical tour even if their visas are for pure travel or visiting reasons," Fan said.
Average cost for getting medical treatment in the US is about $150,000, and most of the Chinese patients come from major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai.
"There are only three or four agencies offering similar services when we established the company in China, and we had only several customers (who went to the US for treatment) in the first year," said Guo Liang, executive director and co-founder of MEGA Healthcare.
The doctor-turned-entrepreneur said he and his family members had similar terrible experience in crowded Chinese hospitals as many other Chinese people.
"My experience of being a doctor let me understand their high pressure of seeing dozens of patients every day, but at the same time, I also see a rising demand for a better treatment environment for patients," said Guo.
This is the reason why he and his partners decided to open a medical service agency for Chinese people.
"I used to think every hospital is the same－noisy, crowded, and you have to take off your pants in front of everybody in the room when you are given an injection," said Cai Qiang, founder and president of Beijing Saint Lucia Hospital Management Consulting Co.
"But when I moved to Australia, I saw a completely different scene in the hospital－the building looked like a starhotel, and there were special rooms for the doctor and the patient to use when taking an examination. When my wife gave birth to our baby, the doctor even prepared a camera for us," Cai said.
Cai said he was shocked by the stark contrast and decided to go back to China in 2009 to help Chinese patients receive overseas medical treatment.
In 2011, Saint Lucia became the nation's first provider of overseas medical care, and it is now the largest in this area with nearly 1,000 clients receiving either a long-distance medical consultation or medical treatment overseas.
In 2014, Saint Lucia received more than 10 million yuan investment from Sequoia Capital, an American venture capital firm located in Menlo Park, California.
Now more and more Chinese people realize there is an alternative solution to health care, and the industry is recognized as high potential.
"Although this is a niche market, I believe it will grow rapidly in the coming years," Guo from MEGA said.
Cai Jiangnan, director of center for healthcare management and policy with China Europe International Business School, said well-moneyed professionals or entrepreneurs go for overseas healthcare services for three reasons－better medical environment and service, state-of-the-art technology and the latest medicine that is not yet available in China.
