"My sister suffers from muscle atrophy. She had difficulty walking and speaking. After receiving treatment in China, her condition improved," Shukrona Hikmatova, a former international student studying in China from Tajikistan, told reporters on Friday while attending an open day event at Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH).

She had taken her sister to multiple countries, where many doctors offered little hope. "Chinese medicine gave us new hope," she said.

Guests at the event experienced the hospital's century-old medical heritage and patient-friendly environment. International visitors also tried traditional Chinese therapies such as acupuncture, tuina and auricular plasters, learning about traditional Chinese medicine's (TCM) "preventive treatment" philosophy.

"The integrated diagnosis and treatment approach combining traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine offers unique advantages in chronic disease management, sleep disorder improvement, weight management and adjuvant cancer therapy," said Wu Qunli, director of the Department of TCM at the hospital.

The 15th Five-Year Plan for National Health proposes establishing international health exchange and cooperation bases for high-level domestic hospitals and other institutions to carry out clinical research innovation, frontier technology application and international medical services for a global audience.

At present, an increasing number of localities are exploring international medical services. For example, the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone in south China's Hainan Province is attracting both domestic and international visitors with its internationalized medical tourism offerings, while Guangdong Province has recently released its first list of pilot hospitals for international medical services.

Experts point out that as China's economy and society continue to develop and living standards rise, demand for healthcare has taken on new characteristics – becoming multi‑level, diversified and more internationalized.