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anonymous
Q: In Beijing, which is the better hospital? United Family or SOS? Do you need to be a member of SOS?
12 years 37 weeks ago in Health & Safety - Beijing
Both have pros and cons. The major downside with both is that they're both very expensive. Unless you're on a high earning expat salary of covered by international health insurance, you won't be able to afford services at either of these places. (United Family's consultation fee alone is over 1000 kuai a pop).
The upside with SOS is that it has 24 medical services available and they are well equipped to deal with emergencies. They're also based around the world and have an excellent reputation. SOS does offer memberships but it's not mandatory. Find out more on their website: www.internationalsos.com
Most of the expats I know have been to United at one time or another and I've heard some mixed reviews. The biggest downside is cost but if you're covered by health insurance then it's a good choice. The facilities and staff are up to international standards and it's clean.
So ultimately, the decision rests on you.
I agree with your answer although I would add that SOS international basically can't do much except bring you to the right Chinese hospital. They had my husband pay a few thousands rmbs just to bring him to a chinese hospital, which he could have done by himself. They also tend to suggest strong medicines and therapies and never propose to explore local solutions. IE : for my husband's knee problem, they proposed in-house therapy (about 500rmb/ session) and said it would take up to a year to get better. We consulted a chinese specialist in articulations issues, it cost us 100rmb/session and he was back to walking properly after 6 months...
Be careful of international SOS, their fees are very expensive. When i was sick and was going in and out of the hospital for one month, they kept on charging me fees without telling me. Even my own insurance company didnt tell me. They said this is the company that we use for overseas hospitals. The best thing to do is look for health insurance here in china, that can cover the international hospital (which there is) and also cover chinese hospitals with an international department. the health insurance in china is cheaper.
