CHINDEX INTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCES FIRST INTUITIVE SURGICAL SALE IN CHINA The Chinese University of Hong Kong 's Jockey Club MISS Centre Becomes First User of Intuitive Surgical's da Vinci® Surgical System

BETHESDA, MD (November 18, 2005) - Chindex International, Inc. (NASDAQ: CHDX), a leading independent American provider of western healthcare products and services in the People's Republic of China, announced today that it has concluded its first sale in China of the da Vinci® Surgical System, manufactured by Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG), the innovator and market leader in surgical robotics. The system was purchased by The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and was installed at the Prince of Wales Hospital under the management of the CUHK Jockey Club Minimally Invasive Surgical Skills (MISS) Centre, one of the comprehensive multi-disciplinary surgical skills centers in the Asia Pacific region.

Roberta Lipson, Chindex President and CEO, commented from Beijing, "We are very excited about this first sale of a da Vinci® Surgical System in Hong Kong, in particular because the CUHK Jockey Club MISS Centre will be such a high profile player and innovator in minimally invasive surgical procedures. The addition of this system to the Centre's state-of-the-art facility will both advance the quality of healthcare in the region as well as provide an opportunity to increase exposure to this exciting technology to surgeons throughout China."

Intuitive Surgical's Senior Vice President of Sales, Jerry McNamara, said: "We believe that the China market is ready to move to the next level of minimally invasive surgery with Intuitive Surgical's da Vinci® Surgical System, and are pleased that our partner, Chindex, is off to a good start with this system placement at The Chinese University of Hong Kong."

Professor Andrew Van Hasselt, Chairman of the Executive Board for The CUHK Jockey Club MISS Centre expressed his delight about being the first China installation of the da Vinci® Surgical System, "The mission of the Centre is to overcome the acknowledged drawbacks of traditional training methods in surgery by developing advanced training systems offering MIS techniques facilitated by virtual reality, robotic surgery and multimedia applications for training and education. The da Vinci® Surgical System will become a centerpiece in our facility."

About Chindex International, Inc.

Chindex is an American healthcare company supplying both medical equipment and healthcare services to the Chinese marketplace, including Hong Kong. It sells medical equipment produced by a number of major multinational companies including Siemens AG as its exclusive distribution partner for the sales and servicing of color doppler ultrasound systems. It also arranges financing packages for the supply of medical equipment to hospitals in China utilizing the export loan and loan guarantee programs of both the U.S. Export-Import Bank and the German KfW Development Bank. It provides healthcare services through the operations of its network of private primary care hospitals and affiliated ambulatory clinics in China. With twenty-four years of experience, over 1,000 employees, and operations in the United States, China and Hong Kong, the Company's strategy is to expand its cross-cultural reach by providing leading edge healthcare technologies, quality products and services to Greater China's professional communities. Further company information may be found at the Company's websites www.chindex.com and www.unitedfamilyhospitals.com .

About Intuitive Surgical:

Intuitive Surgical, Inc., headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, is the global technology leader in the rapidly emerging field of robotic-assisted, minimally invasive surgery (MIS). Intuitive Surgical develops, manufactures and markets robotic technologies designed to improve clinical outcomes and help patients return more quickly to active and productive lives. The company's mission is to extend the benefits of minimally invasive surgery to the broadest possible base of patients. More information is available at www.intuitivesurgical.com and www.davinciprostatectomy.com .

Some of the information in this press release may contain statements regarding future expectations, plans, prospects for performance of the Company that constitute forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. The numbers discussed in this press release also involve risks and uncertainties. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described by such statements: our ability to manage our growth and maintain adequate controls, our ability to obtain additional financing, the loss of services of key personnel, general market conditions including inflation or foreign currency fluctuations, our dependence on relationships with suppliers, the timing of our revenues and fluctuations in financial performance, the availability to our customers of third-party financings, product liability claims and product recalls, competition, hiring and retaining qualified sales and service personnel, management of inventory, relations with foreign trade corporations, dependence on sub-distributors and dealers, completion and opening of healthcare facilities, attracting and retaining qualified physicians and other hospital personnel, regulatory compliance, the cost of malpractice, our dependence on our information systems, the economic policies of the Chinese government, the newness and undeveloped nature of the Chinese legal system, the regulation of the conversion of Chinese currency, future epidemics in China such as SARS or Avian Flu, the control over our operation by insiders, continuity of relationships and variability of financial margins with existing suppliers, our liquidity and availability of capital resources to meet cash requirements, including capital expenditures and bid and performance bonds, and those other factors contained in the section titled "Risk Factors" as set forth in the Company's Registration Statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-114996) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as other documents that may be filed by the Company from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements and numbers contained herein represent the judgment of the Company, as of the date of this press release, and the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update such forward-looking statements to reflect any change in the Company's expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which such statements are based.

# # # #