This buyers' club needs all help it can get

When I first moved to Beijing a decade ago, healthcare costs came as a shock. Even allowing for the "premium" foreigners are charged for the privilege of easier access to doctors, they seemed out of sync with the general cost of living.

In Hong Kong, where I was earlier based, a visit to the GP cost a fifth of what I was paying here.

In India, for top-notch private care, it would cost a fraction compared to Beijing. An X-ray or an MRI costs a tenth of what I would pay here.