The quality of health care is very low, so the best care will be in Lhasa or in a location outside of Tibet such as Chengdu, Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai, Kathmandu, and Singapore. The most practical location is probably Chengdu, as it is closer and less expensive than hospitals in most other large Chinese cities. As a general rule, foreigners are charged more than Chinese, so a day's worth of care in a Chengdu hospital will probably cost around $120. Areas with many foreign embassies will likely have good health care that is in accordance with Western expectations. High quality hotels can generally recommend a reliable health care provider, but these are only suitable for basic problems. They can usually provide an oxygen pillow and may even have a doctor on call.
Medical facilities are rarely sanitary, and the competence of health care professionals can vary greatly. In a serious situation, you should take advantage of flights for Chengdu or Kathmandu that regularly leave out of Tibet because an emergency evacuation by road is very risky. Unfortunately, there is no emergency helicopter evacuation out of Tibet. Travel insurance is recommended because travelers have been known to have severe cases of altitude sickness.
Elizabeth Tseng