Pros and cons of China: poor expat healthcare v bid for more expats

China is hoping to attract expats with assurances of better
pay and chances of promotion, making Beijing and Shanghai hotspots. These terms
have been set up to outweigh some of the country’s cons such as rapidly rising
air pollution and a reputedly slowing economy.

Incentives such as a salary growth surpassing that found
both in Hong Kong and Singapore is needed when regarding the poor expat
healthcare and the overall sporadic nature of China’s healthcare system which does
not offer cover to everyone. It does not cover all the costs for those who are
qualified. All in all, it is as varied as the vast country and is difficult to
understand.

The competition between Shanghai and Hong Kong is heating up
and the gap between the pay rates is said to be narrowing. In fact, Shanghai is
often regarded as the place to be for opportunities of career advancement. This
may be due to the fact that there is a shortage of skills within certain industry
sectors. The main one is the financial sector which of course, is vital for the
country’s future economic growth.

There are array of other fields for which the demand of
expats ranges over. Experts in geology for example, are being sought after as a
result of China’s ageing oil fields and this is why a growing number of firms
are offering employees perks such as expatriate health insurance and bonuses.

It is likely that most expats will need some form of
international health insurance if moving to Asia, despite the fact that the
bigger cities like Shanghai and Beijing have hospitals that are very similar to
those found in the West. In areas that are more remote, the difference is
stark. Although traditional Chinese remedies are giving way to western
medicines, being covered by global expat health insurance means less worry in
case something does go wrong as well as less stress over the financial
consequences.

The overall allure of the vibrancy of the country with its
interesting juxtaposition of the ancient and the new is still there. Working in
such a place would be extraordinary and with expatriate medical insurance
covering the majority of cases in rural areas or adding extra cover the overall
good quality care in the cities, you can grasp what the country has to offer.