Passport is a passport and health certificate is a health certificate. No health certificate is required in visas, and only a few countries need medical certificates.
Physical examination certificate and health certificate are two completely different things. Health certificate is a basic employment certificate issued by China for some special posts, such as service industry and catering industry. Physical examination certificate is not required for all visas, but individual countries have special requirements.
I hope my answer is helpful to you.
Supplementary answer:
Generally speaking, the most basic thing to apply for a visa is to need a passport. As for other materials, it varies according to the country you apply for and the type of visa. If you want to know more, please tell us what country and type of visa you are preparing, so that we can help you in a targeted way.