After exhausting all her treatment options for myeloma over five years in her home country, New Zealander Emma Holden travelled to Shanghai on the recommendation of a fellow countryman, who had successfully battled the same cancer in the Chinese city.

Experts said the draw is not only price, with treatments in China often significantly cheaper than in many Western countries, but also the country’s growing capabilities in areas such as oncology, cell therapy and other advanced treatments that may be unavailable, unaffordable or harder to access elsewhere.