AI-powered care, special-access drugs fuel medical tourism boom in Hainan

At the sixth China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE), a "hospital without walls" has drawn wide attention at a sub-venue of the event — the international health care consumption zone in the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone in south China's Hainan province.

Featuring no physical building or waiting lines, the platform integrates top-tier medical expertise into on-demand "digital doctors." These allow for AI-assisted imaging analysis and treatment planning for grassroots physicians while offering patients remote access to high-level consultations.

People visit the Super AI Hospital in the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone, Hainan province, April 15, 2026. [Photo by Xu Xiaoxuan/China.org.cn]

The platform, known as the Super AI Hospital in Boao, was launched in March in the Lecheng pilot zone, a State Council-approved initiative established in 2013. The zone now serves as the key gateway for the accelerated introduction of innovative international drugs and medical devices into the Chinese market.

"Patients previously had to visit multiple hospitals and wait months to access cutting-edge therapies," said Zhang Bangqun, general manager of the platform. "Now AI can help identify, match and track treatment options more efficiently."

Embedded intelligent agents and an AI-powered assistant for specially licensed medical products monitor global developments around the clock, identifying eligible patients and matching them with appropriate therapies. When the system detects a need for a drug not yet available in China, it can swiftly connect patients to global resources through Lecheng's policy framework.

According to official data for 2025, the use of specially licensed drugs and medical devices in Lecheng reached 123,000 cases, up 139.9% year on year.

As China's only "special medical zone," Lecheng operates under preferential policies covering specially licensed medical treatment, research, operation and international exchange, making it the country's primary channel for introducing global innovative drugs and devices.

At this year's CICPE, eight innovative products made their China debut via the Lecheng platform, covering areas such as cancer treatment, early disease screening and sub-health management.

The zone is home to more than 30 medical institutions, forming a full-cycle health care service chain spanning disease prevention, health management, early screening, precision medicine and rehabilitation. It has partnered with over 180 pharmaceutical and medical device companies from more than 20 countries. As of this March, a total of 557 specially licensed drugs and devices had been put into clinical use in the zone.

Lecheng has also introduced a dedicated insurance scheme with no restrictions on age or occupation, now covering foreign residents in Hainan, to improve affordability of advanced international treatments.

Beyond AI-enabled health care services, the zone is integrating medical resources with tourism. It has so far launched 35 medical tourism routes featuring chronic disease management, traditional Chinese wellness practices and health screening programs.

Boao Yiling Life Care Center in the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone, Hainan province, April 15, 2026. [Photo by Xu Xiaoxuan/China.org.cn]

Boao Yiling Life Care Center, which provides preventive care, rehabilitation and medical tourism services, operates around 700 rooms and maintains near full occupancy year-round, according to staff member Fu Qiongjin.

Fu noted that the number of international clients has been rising, particularly from Southeast Asia and Russian-speaking countries, many of whom show strong interest in traditional Chinese medicine.

In 2025, Lecheng received 865,300 medical tourism visits, up 109.2% year on year. Among them, the number of inbound medical tourists reached 9,344, with a 618.9% surge in the second half of the year compared with the first, covering 14 countries and regions including Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the United States.