Job Discussion Forums

[dekkard]

Hi,

I know this is a popular topic but this is a question for UK/British people who have had a medical check in the UK before going to work in China.

My employer has sent me a 'Physical Examination Record for Foreigner' form which requires a lot of tests/checks, including X-rays, ECG etc.

UK people - did your GP fill this form in for you? If not, where did you get it done and what was the cost?

Thanks.

[doogsville]

I had it done about five years ago by my GP, minus the x-ray and ECG and one or two other things. He just wrote 'not needed' on the form for those things. I did have to pay something, since it's not a medical necessity, but I don't remember how much, about 100 pounds or so, but it differs from GP practice to practice I believe, since it's not an NHS thing and they can charge what they like.

From memory you just really need something that looks official and is stamped to get you over here, where you'll have to do the whole thing over again anyway.

[dekkard]

Thanks for the reply.

Follow-up question (maybe only for those who filled in the form recently and can remember the details!)

- Near the end of the form there's a box that reads: 'None of the following diseases or disorders found'

Does ticking all the boxes indicate that the diseases were not found? It's not clear!

[vikeologist]

I got mine done at the City Walk-In Clinic in London

http://walkin-clinic.co.uk/
http://walkin-clinic.co.uk/visa-medicals-china

There's other options, for instance

http://www.harleyhealthcentre.com/visa-medicals/china

but I'd recommend the top one.

they both cost £375

The local authorities in China wouldn't go for my Gp filling in 'not applicable or not noted or whatever.

[dekkard]

Thanks. How sure are you that the GP method you mentioned wouldn't be acceptable? Do you know of people who've gone down that route and experienced problems?

[vikeologist]

I guess you have to gauge from your potential employer what they will find acceptable.

Bear in mind that schools and foreign affairs offices will vary widely.

On the one hand this is a fairly meaningless thing, given that you're going to have the tests re-done once you get to China.

On the other hand, employers here really don't want their foreigners dying or being too ill to complete their contract.

I think the fact that I pushed my employer to compromise on the thoroughness of the medical (because I didn't want to fork out over £400 once you count the travel costs etc) probably made them suspicious of my health.

So, I pushed it as hard as I could, and then conceded defeat.

Actually; full disclosure. The City walk-in Clinic doctor thought she detected a heart murmur. This isn't in itself a big deal, but my GP (probably the practice nurse) couldn't detect it. Nor did any test before or since.
I think this is a good thing though. The clinic took the test seriously, and didn't just view it as a formality.

If you have to have the test done at this sort of clinic, then I'm sorry, because it will be very expensive.

But, the tests that are done in China are not actually all that thorough. It's sort of like a conveyer system, with you as the chicken being filleted. Having a thorough medical in Britain may be reassuring, or even life-saving.

[dekkard]

For others' information, the Harley Health Centre and Walk-in clinics with links above in a previous post are the same clinic.

[JRJohn]

Well, this post makes me furious. I mean it makes me furious that mean-spirited, xenophobic Chinese employers arestill asking for a medical check that is no longer required by the Chinese embassy in London.
It used to be the case that you could download the medical form from the embassy's website in London. I had to do this, and go to a doctor to get lots and lots of tests for diseases I did not have. But the local GP refused. It was not within the NHS's remit, you see. BUPA refused. I went to MASTA Travel clinic. They did the tests but it cost 380 pounds in 2010. They said it had gone up to 500 pounds last year when I asked.
Last year, I came back to China, I was tested in Beijing. I did not need to pay over the odds. The government of China seems to have changed the rules, as I was NOT required to get the medical before coming to China this time.
It could be that the employer doesn't realize the rules have changed, or is being paranoid and xenophobic. Emphasise that it will cost you 500 pounds and that having so many unnecessary tests done is not possible under the NHS.

[vikeologist]

Well, there's no point talking about the government of China like its one homogenous (hope it's the right word. it's sounds good anyway) organisation.

Yes, the visa office will (usually) not require a health check, but some will introduce this requirement.

in my case it was the local government Foreign affairs office that required it before they would issue the invitation letter.

Fact is each province, city or even individual office has their own requirements / quirks.

There's a difference between what 'the law' says and what actually happens.

I do agree that this is a nightmare. It would be lovely if we could get some kind of list together to know what each province etc requires, not only for the health check, but also, (and I think even more obstructively) with the Police check. Also how much money we pay in social security (if any) in each location.

Unfortunately I don't think this can be done, and even if it could would have a lifespan of about a week until some anal retentive or incompetent jobsworth changed it all again.

[Non Sequitur]

[hz88]

This old chestnut again..

There always seems to be some confusion about the medical check.

Simply it is required by all provinces in China now to obtain an invitation letter for a Foreign Experts Certificate. It is not required by the Chinese Embassy in the applicants home (or another) country to issue a visa but they won't issue the visa without the invitation letter so effectively it is required.

I am a Foreign Affairs Officer so I do know this.

It came up recently on another board, see the link:

http://www.eslteachersboard.com/cgi-bin/review/index.pl?read=67368

Whatever, it will have to be redone anyway once you reach China before your residents permit can be issued. It's just the way it is, everything has to be certified by Chinese doctors.

[jimpellow]

[The_Kong]

[jimpellow]

"It could be that the employer doesn't realize the rules have changed, or is being paranoid and xenophobic. Emphasise that it will cost you 500 pounds and that having so many unnecessary tests done is not possible under the NHS."

It is possible during times when the local authorities have not required a premedical that schools have still requested that an applicant do a pre-med. I would think this would almost always come out of ignorance of the current always changing requirements, rather than mean spiritedness or xenophobia. Schools want the lao wai in the school for profit, barriers to potential employment like the cost of the pre-med work against them.

The issue really is the government. They adroitly realized that the system for employment in areas like ESL had some serious issues. But as often happens with government meddling in the market, the fix has generally exacerbated many of the past problems and spawned new ones.

[buravirgil]