Warning: Graphic Contents
This article is to record the real experience of dealing with small trauma injury in China, the timeline, cost and all.
I live in Beijing, China and the yard where me and my friends work on cars is in a rural village to the east side of the city (Tongzhou/通州).
On the very first day of 2026 I made a mistake while working on my truck and I put a drill bit into the inner side of my left wrist, resulting in a hole 1cm in diameter and 1cm deep. A vein was severed resulting in significant bleeding. it was about 5PM in the evening and I was alone on site. I immediately removed the trauma kit from my truck, opened the “QuickClot Combat Gauze”, and packed the gauze into the wound. I then put a few layers of the gauze on top of the packed wound, wrapped the gauze around to apply compression.
After the bleeding was stopped(which was fairly quick after I used the Combat Gauze), I grabbed the keys to my car (a 2008 Hyundai Sonata, as the truck is not in working condition) and drove to the nearby village’s infirmary. However they do not have surgery department and they recommended me to go to a general hospital in the nearest town(Peking University People’s Hospital in Huoxian(漷县), about 15 kilometers away). So I took off again, drove for about 20 minutes before I got to the hospital. On the way I tested the motor functions and sensory functions of my left hand, they were all there so I assumed no nerve damage.
At about 6PM: after arriving at the ER I went through triage, got my blood pressure tested, and registered. I then went to the doctor who examined the wound. One person was in the room but he left after seeing the blood, as he was not in a hurry. The doctors took photos of the wound and sent to their supervisor. The supervisor recommended surgical operation to treat the wound which would be better than treating it in the ER. I accepted, so they wrote the admission notice, re-packed the wound, and prescribed a tetanus shot and a wrist CT scan.
I payed the medicine fee, got the shot and the scan(for emergency scans as long as there is no one queueing before you, you can get the scan done immediately), payed RMB 5000 deposit for admission, and went to the ward to check-in.
At about 7PM: I completed the check in and changed into hospital gown. A nurse came to fill in some basic information and told me the operation is scheduled and is waiting for an OR. She confirmed that I didn’t eat anything for the past few hours, and told me not to eat or drink anything from then on. A few minutes after my wound began to bleed again so I called for help and a doctor came to pack the wound. Half an hour later a doctor came with files to sign, those are the files for the operation. As it will only involve local anesthesia, I don’t need an accompanying person and I can sign those myself. While waiting for the operation the CT scan image and report came in, which I viewed on my phone.
At about 7:45 PM: A caregiver came with a gurney, and the nurse prepped me for operation by placing an IV catheter. I was then rolled to the OR. The operation started at about 8PM and ended about an hour later. I was sent back to the ward at a few minutes past 9PM. The operation went smoothly, the wound was irrigated and sutured after local anesthesia was injected, and there was only very slight pain after.
As the IV catheter was not used and it was causing pain, at about 9:30 PM a nurse came to remove it. They also told me it’s fine to have meal. So I asked my friend to swing by the yard and bring my backpack which have phone charger and toiletry bag in it (I’m going through oral orthodontics so I need toothbrush and toothpaste wherever I go). He also brought some Stir-fried Pancake Shreds(炒饼). He was not allowed into the ward so I had to go downstairs to meet him. I had the meal, had some coffee, brushed my teeth and went to bed.
The next morning doctors came for the ward rounds. They told me I’ll be discharged now and left orders for dressing change every 3 day for 2 weeks. Antibiotics and painkillers were prescribed. So I changed back into my own clothing and left the hospital driving my car.
In total I was hospitalized for about 15 hours.
The bill came to RMB 4789.25 where social security medical insurance payed about RMB 2600. The rest is what I pay. I have commercial medical insurance which can cover some of the fees. Some of the main cost were: electrosurgery, RMB ~1800; absorbable suture, RMB ~800; operation fee, RMB ~1550. The parking fee was RMB 65 which is pretty high for the area.
In total, it took me almost no time to got admission and have the operation. This is partly due to the emergency nature of the trauma and the possibility of nerve damage. The process is fairly smooth, however it will be more efficient if you have someone to run errands like paying bills, retrieve medicines and getting take-outs. I also assume if it was possible to get discharged at night, I’ll be discharged the same night.