This photo taken with a mobile phone shows a volunteer (R) helping Yemeni businessman Sufyan Marwan Sufyan Mohanmmed take vaccine reservation receipt for his daughter from a machine by scanning a QR code at a community health service center in Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province, March 25, 2025. (Xinhua/Huang Xiao)
HANGZHOU, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Yiwu resident Sufyan Marwan Sufyan Mohanmmed, from Yemen, no longer finds himself envying the ease with which Chinese parents are able to keep track of their children's vaccinations.
On March 25, Yiwu, a city in east China's Zhejiang Province, introduced the country's first digital vaccine record system for foreigners. Marwan's 1-year-old daughter became the first beneficiary.
"When I used to take my child for vaccinations, I had to apply for a paper certificate," the father told Xinhua. "Watching Chinese parents scan their phones while I had to wait anxiously only made me feel envious."
The provision of digital vaccine records for foreigners was made possible thanks to the efforts of the provincial and city-level centers for disease control and prevention in Zhejiang. By overcoming various technical and linguistic difficulties, the province has broadened the service coverage of its digital vaccine records to include foreigners.
The move has enhanced the convenience and efficiency of vaccination services for foreigners living in Zhejiang, said Lou Xiaoming, deputy director of the provincial center for disease control and prevention.
For some, the country's medical advancements mean more than just increased convenience -- they mean survival.
Recently, a Facebook post captured one moment of pure relief: Haithan, a Jordanian patient in China, had just received the news that his surgery had been successful, and that he was ready to be discharged from hospital.
Haithan's medical journey had been full of twists and turns. Earlier this year, he experienced severe abdominal pain and initially returned home to seek treatment from familiar doctors. However, after two failed surgeries in Jordan, he decided to try his luck in China.
Accompanied by his family, Haithan returned to China, where Lou Yanbo at the Fourth Hospital Affiliated to School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, performed a minimally invasive surgery that saw minimal blood loss. The surgery was challenging but proved a success.
"I'm a businessman, but this trip to China was not just for business -- it's a life-saving journey," he said. "Yiwu is not only a hub for business opportunities -- it also has top-tier health care, providing support for foreigners like me," he noted.
The hospital provides medical services to foreign patients from 188 countries and regions, with foreign outpatient visits totaling 16,000 in 2023 -- the highest number in the province.
In recent years, with the continued expansion of medical openness and strengthened international cooperation, the demand for high-quality health care services in China has grown significantly. Yiwu, known as the "world's supermarket," has a large expatriate population and has raised the bar for diversified, international medical services.
Increasing numbers of foreigners in Yiwu are benefiting from more efficient and convenient medical services, reflecting the city's rapid advancements in health care, as well as China's commitment to opening up and people-centered development.
"Many foreigners like me choose to fly here for treatment. When it comes to our health, we want the best care possible," said Haithan.
A single purchase
