Aerial view of Boao Lecheng: futuristic campus and medical facilities

The Hainan Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone was approved by China’s State Council in February 2013 in Boao, Qionghai, Hainan—widely described as China’s only “medical special zone.” Policy priorities include licensed specialty care, health management, rehab/nursing, and medical aesthetics within an international medical-tourism framework.

Under “licensed medical care, research, operations, and international medical exchange” policies, designated institutions inside the zone may—after regulatory approval—import and use certain clinically urgently needed drugs and devices already marketed overseas but not yet registered on the Chinese mainland. Access is limited to approved hospitals and indications in the zone, not a nationwide open pathway.

Xinhua and Qiushi reporting cite roughly 36 operating medical institutions (including foreign-invested ones), anchored by leading public hospitals such as Ruijin Hospital Hainan campus and West China–related partnerships, plus a real-world data pilot that supports faster domestic registration of innovative products.