Investment Injection.docVIP

Investment Injection 　　Jeffrey Williams had not considered private treatment before he came to Beijing in the summer of 2014 and developed a respiratory tract infection. When the 39-year-old senior executive at a foreign bank went to a large public hospital， he had to wait nearly an hour as patients bustled in and out. When he finally met the doctor， the weary medico gave him only five minutes， telling him it was a common illness and quickly jotting down a prescription. 　　While the consultation and medicine only cost him $15， Williams sought to ensure his peace of mind and made the decision to sign up for a better quality of medical service. Finally， Williams opted for a private medical insurance plan provided by the Bayley Jackson Medical Center in downtown Beijing， a private hospital with headquarters in Hong Kong. The plan’s premium cost him about 30，000 yuan（$4，713） annually， which includes outpatient and inpatient services， regular check-ups and accommodation costs. 　　In comparison to the majority of Chinese who seek treatment in public hospitals， those who use private medical facilities see it more as a luxury service that is not timeconsuming， overcrowded or impersonal. 　　 Value 　　On any given day， the scene at well-known public Peking Union Medical College Hospital in Beijing is a familiar one： hundreds of people lining up in front of the registration windows from the crack of dawn. Registration fees vary between 5 yuan （$0.76） and 14 yuan （$2.2） depending on the treatment needed. But while traditionally most of the public hospitals in China’s big cities are government-funded， there has been a slow shift to foreign investment in this sector in recent years. 　　Most foreign capital making its way to China’s hospital sector has until recently been directed toward high-end consumers， fed initially by the expat market. But increasingly this trend is shifting to China’s own middle class. “Half of our outpatients are expats working or living in China， su