Video: In China’s Crowded Hospitals, She Found a New Career

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In China’s Crowded Hospitals, She Discovered a New Profession As China’s inhabitants grows older, a brand new trade of gig employees is stepping in to assist older sufferers navigate a fancy, bureaucratic hospital system. We frolicked with Jessica Wang, a 49-year-old mom from Beijing who discovered regular revenue and a renewed sense of objective by turning into an expert hospital companion. This can be a mega hospital in Beijing. A medical maze the place one mistaken flip may value you hours. That is Jessica Wang. She’s 49 and a — — half affected person advocate, half savvy gig employee discovering new methods to make a residing in China’s slowing financial system. For round $50, she will go to the hospital with you or seek the advice of a health care provider in your behalf. She’s a part of a brand new trade serving to China’s growing old inhabitants address the bureaucratic medical system. To get a uncommon glimpse inside that system, we adopted Jessica for a day, beginning along with her early-morning commute. In China, individuals don’t sometimes see main care medical doctors. Whether or not you want a blood check or want most cancers therapy, you go on to a hospital. China has a three-tier hospital system. The very best ones, or the highest 10 p.c, are concentrated in main cities and could be very crowded. Greater than 60 p.c of all affected person visits occur in these elite hospitals. Demand has additionally elevated as China’s inhabitants has gotten older. For the out of city sufferers, Jessica steps in as a surrogate, dealing with duties that don’t require an in-person examination. With unemployment in China persistently excessive, many are becoming a member of the career and advertising and marketing their service on social media. Jessica has managed to make a good residing on this rising trade.

<img src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2025/03/12/world/asia/cover_hospital-companion/cover_hospital-companion-jumbo.png?auto=webp&quality=75" data-testid="betamax-poster" sizes="(width < 740px) 95vw, 500px" srcset="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2025/03/12/world/asia/cover_hospital-companion/cover_hospital-companion-master180.png?auto=webp&quality=75 180w, https://static01.nyt.com/images/2025/03/12/world/asia/cover_hospital-companion/cover_hospital-companion-blog225.png?auto=webp&quality=75 225w, https://static01.nyt.com/images/2025/03/12/world/asia/cover_hospital-companion/cover_hospital-companion-master315.png?auto=webp&quality=75 315w, https://static01.nyt.com/images/2025/03/12/world/asia/cover_hospital-companion/cover_hospital-companion-popup.png?auto=webp&quality=75 334w, https://static01.nyt.com/images/2025/03/12/world/asia/cover_hospital-companion/cover_hospital-companion-slide.png?auto=webp&quality=75 334w, https://static01.nyt.com/images/2025/03/12/world/asia/cover_hospital-companion/cover_hospital-companion-tmagSF.png?auto=webp&quality=75 362w, https://static01.nyt.com/images/2025/03/12/world/asia/cover_hospital-companion/cover_hospital-companion-blog427.png?auto=webp&quality=75 427w, https://static01.nyt.com/images/2025/03/12/world/asia/cover_hospital-companion/cover_hospital-companion-blog480.png?auto=webp&quality=75 480w, https://static01.nyt.com/images/2025/03/12/world/asia/cover_hospital-companion/cover_hospital-companion-master495.png?auto=webp&quality=75 495w, https://static01.nyt.com/images/2025/03/12/world/asia/cover_hospital-companion/cover_hospital-companion-blog533.png?auto=webp&quality=75 533w, https://static01.nyt.com/images/2025/03/12/world/asia/cover_hospital-companion/cover_hospital-companion-tmagArticle.png?auto=webp&quality=75 592w, https://static01.nyt.com/images/2025/03/12/world/asia/cover_hospital-companion/cover_hospital-companion-articleLarge.png?auto=webp&quality=75 600w, https://static01.nyt.com/images/2025/03/12/world/asia/cover_hospital-companion/cover_hospital-companion-master675.png?auto=webp&quality=75 675w, https://static01.nyt.com/images/2025/03/12/world/asia/cover_hospital-companion/cover_hospital-companion-jumbo.png?auto=webp&quality=75 683w, https://static01.nyt.com/images/2025/03/12/world/asia/cover_hospital-companion/cover_hospital-companion-master768.png?auto=webp&quality=75 768w, https://static01.nyt.com/images/2025/03/12/world/asia/cover_hospital-companion/cover_hospital-companion-master1050.png?auto=webp&quality=75 1050w, https://static01.nyt.com/images/2025/03/12/world/asia/cover_hospital-companion/cover_hospital-companion-superJumbo.png?auto=webp&quality=75 1080w" fetchpriority="high" class="_poster_9lakg_19"/> As China’s inhabitants grows older, a brand new trade of gig employees is stepping in to assist older sufferers navigate a fancy, bureaucratic hospital system. We frolicked with Jessica Wang, a 49-year-old mom from Beijing who discovered regular revenue and a renewed sense of objective by turning into an expert hospital companion. By Isabelle Qian, Ben Laffin, Aaron Byrd and Qilai Shen