3 Sites for a Crohn's Expat in Beijing
Crohn's disease in Chinese is 克罗恩病 Kè luó ēn bìng.
In 2018 I packed my bags and moved to Beijing. It was an easy choice for the trip of a lifetime, but it was so hard to find any information about what life was like for a Crohn's Expat. I spent 3 months before departure researching: local hospitals, IBD doctors, medications, and insurance and trying to find out any information about life as a Crohn's patient in China.
Here are some useful sites I found to help you start planning your travels:
*The Beijinger - a Beijing Directory and news source
I found addresses for local hospitals - some places listed fees and included reviews
It's not always up-to-date and you occasionally have to try a few variations of search terms to find where you are looking for but this was the best directory available.
Crohn's and Colitis UK - for insurance information
https://www.crohnsandcolitis.org.uk/about-crohns-and-colitis/publications/insurance-ibd
Health Insurance - I could not find an affordable provider who covered my Crohn's as it came under pre-existing conditions.
I opted for Travel Insurance - I was covered to fly back home or receive emergency medical treatment if I went to hospital. I did end up flying back home a couple times.
IBDPassport - for IBD hospitals around the world
I was able to find hospitals in my area of Beijing with an IBD doctor
Some hospitals also listed medications they had available (my biggest concern) like Azathioprine.
While this list is by no means exhaustive, these sites were a great starting point for planning. My two years were challenging and fun, and no two hospital visits were ever the same. Having these as a reference point before departure made travelling a lot easier for me.
If you know of any other websites let me know in the comments.
~J
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