The
Medical Service in Shanghai
Introduction
This
article outlines pre-departure planning tactics and information you need to
know for when you arrive and stay in
Dealing
with the medical system in a country that’s not your own can be a daunting
thought at the best of times. This fear of the unknown is heightened in a
country like
The Chinese medical system introduction (specifically
Before you leave home
A)
Insurance- what does it cover? How vigilant do I need to be?
You
DO need to prepare your insurance before you leave home.
B)
Pre-departure strategies to consider:
n
having sufficient prescriptions or names of prescriptions
n
having details of illnesses or special needs
n
having immunisations in due time
n
having a medical check if necessary
C)
Remember that many companies require you to have a medical
check either before you leave home or when you arrive in
Arriving in
D) If you are here with a company it is likely that they
will organise your medical check for you.
If they don’t, ask them about it.
You must have a medical check to have your visa approved. Medical checks usually take place at the
The
medical check is a series of short tests , including eye tests, x-rays, blood
tests and hearing tests. A doctor
will also interview you and ask you about your medical history. Staff are experienced with foreigners
and speak English.
E)
You should also check details of your local hospital and doctor, and
familiarise yourself with emergency numbers.
International clinics vs. Local clinics: the pros and cons
The
beauty of the medical system in
A list of recommended international clinics: (including price for
consultation and immunizations)
World Link has following
separate faculties:
Phone:
(8621) 6279 7688
Medical services, Health Screening Services
Fax: (8621) 6279 7698
E-mail: services@worldlink-shanghai.com
Dental servicesAddress:
Phone: (8621) 6279 8318
Fax: (8621) 6279 8343
E-mail: services@worldlink-shanghai.com
Address:
Nanjing Xi Lu Shanghai, China 200040
Mon – Fri 9am – 7pm
Sat 9am-4pm
Sun 9am – 3pm
There is a 24 hour emergency service but it’s
only available to members of the hospital
Hong
Qiao Medical and Phone:
(8621) 6405 5788
Medical and dental services
Fax: (8621) 6405 3587
E-mail: services@worldlink-shanghai.com
Address:
Specialty
and
Medical specialties, inpatient services,
birthing center
Phone: (8621) 6385 9889
Fax: (8621) 6385 9890
E-mail: services@worldlink-shanghai.com
Address:
170 Danshui Lu, 3rd Floor
(Near the corner of Danshui Lu and Xinye Lu, near Xintiandi)
Address: 2258 Hong Qiao Lu
Phone: (86 21) 6242 0909
Fax: (86 21) 6242 8678
E-mail: services@worldlink-shanghai.com
Remark:
Hong Qiao Medical and Dental Center Open 7 days a week.
Jin
Qiao Medical and DentalCenter Phone:
(86 21) 5032 8288
Medical and Dental Services
Fax: (86 21) 5032 5826
E-mail: services@worldlink-shanghai.com
Address:
51 Hongfeng Lu , Jin Qiao, Pudong
Language skills:
All of the doctors speak
English; most of them also speak another language including German, Japanese
and Cantonese.
Doctors come from
Services provided
including:
Physiotherapy,
acupuncture, counseling, pediatrics, a birthing center, gastroenterology
Chinese massage.
Fees:
No registration fee is
required. For a general consultation, the fee is between RMB 600 and 900. A short consultation (about 15 minutes)
will cost you around RMB 600. A
longer one or something requiring more attention will cost you closer to RMB
900.
A follow up consultation
will cost you between RMB 400 and 600.
You must make an
appointment one or two days in advance (adult) and one week in advance
(children – regular check up)
There is little waiting
time unless you are a walk-in patient, in which case you may wait for a long
time
They are professional and
the receptionist’s English is very good.
Opening hours Mon – Fri 9am – 8pm Sat 9 am – 2pm Sun 9am – 1pm
There is a 24 hour
emergency service – call 5879 9999 and a doctor will be on call
Has a team of expatriate
doctors who all speak English. Many
foreigners recommend this medical centre, however, it is very expensive.
Areas of specialisation
include:
obstetrics/gynaecology, pediatrics, Traditional Chinese Medicine,
cardio-thoracic surgery chiropractics, radiology.
There is no registration
fee. The consultation fee is RMB
500 and the follow up fee is RMB 250.
You should make an
appointment at least one day in advance.
Sometimes the waiting
room is busy, you may have to wait a long time.
They are professional and
the receptionists English is good.
It is located in Pudong
which makes it convenient for many foreigners living in this area.
Doctor Anderson &
Partners
Room 1001, 10/F, Block D,
Phone 6270 3263
New
2/F,
Phone 6407 0434
This centre has doctors and
dentists trained in Western countries.
A list of recommended local clinics: (including price for
consultation and immunisations)
Jing An
259 Xikang Lu nr Xinzha
Lu:
Registration RMB 50, examination,
blood test and drugs, less than RMB 50
The hospital is cheap and
is recommended by some foreign insurance policies. However, be warned: the standards are
not as high as those of an international hospital.
197 Ruijin Er Lu
phone 6466 4483
Opening hours
Mon – Sat 8am – 11am,
1.30pm – 5pm
Closed on Sunday
There is no emergency
section.
A clean clinic with
reasonable prices. Has a separate
foreigners section. Registration fee including consultation is RMB 300. Follow up fee is the same. All doctors are Chinese and some speak
English. When you book an
appointment please ask for an English speaking doctor. (THIS IS IMPORTANT!)
You should make an
appointment at least one day in advance.
The clinic is busy, you
may have to wait if you haven’t made an appointment.
Receptionist’s English is
good.
Many
expatriates feel more comfortable dealing with an international clinic because
of practitioner expertise and language.
However, many people have had positive and negative experiences with
both. International clinics come at
a hefty fee – compare the prices above.
An immunisation that cost me around RMB 20 cost my friend around RMB
2000. Also, don’t assume that
because a clinic is local, staff won’t speak English. Most Chinese people trained in the
medical field (especially in Shanghai) are required to study English as part of
their qualification.
Case studies:
Billy
is a 12 year old boy. He is living
in Shanghai because his parents relocated from Australia. They are from an upper income
family. He needs to see a doctor
because he is having trouble concentrating at school. It is recommended that he go to Shanghai
East Medical Centre. His parents
don’t want to pay too much for what is probably a simple problem. There is a doctor from Australia so he
will feel comfortable. If there is
a need, he can be easily referred to a specialist.
Sally
is a woman from America in her mid-twenties. She is on a monthly salary of about RMB
10, 000. She wants to see a doctor
because she needs a prescription for sleeping tablets. It is recommended that she go to any
local clinic in her area. The fee
will be low and for such a simple consultation it is not worth visiting an international
clinic.
Jenny
is a young woman who wants to see a physiotherapist. She has had back problems in the
past. She doesn’t like the idea of
spending a lot on a physio, but also realises that it is important to see
someone who can give her a thorough treatment. She decides to see the physiotherapist
at Sino United. Because she has a
comprehensive insurance plan, she can claim some of the money back.
When things go wrong: emergency numbers and services
International
SOS Assistance – Room C, 11/F, Guangdong Development Bank Building, No. 555,
Xujiahui
Phone
6295 9951
This
is a telephone hotline. You can
find out medical and travel information.
Specialty clinics/services
Shanghai
has a wide range of expatriate specialists including speech therapists,
physiotherapists, dentists and acupuncturists.
Speech therapy:
there
are currently two English speaking speech therapists in Shanghai, both at the
Shanghai United Family Hospital, Xian Xiq Lu. There is a growing need for speech therapists
in the expatriate community but they are hard to find because they are not
advertised in the English language magazines.
Dr.
Jessica Cypher (USA) is a speech therapist at Shanghai United.
Physiotherapy:
there
are several English speaking physiotherapists in Shanghai.
Sino
United Health, Nanjing Lu.
Phone
6279 8920
Currently
they have one English speaking physiotherapist, from the UK. They will soon employ a second one. Sino United has a very user friendly
phone answering system.
Registration
is US $150. Consultation is US
$100. These fees may be covered by
your insurance policy, depending on the provider.
World
Link Medical Centre,
Nanjing
Xi Lu/ Hongqiao Lu/ Danshui Lu
Phone
62797688.
Specialty
centre (including physiotherapist )phone 6385 9889
Consultation
RMB 1,200 (approximately)
Dentist:
Arrail
Dental
204
Lippo Plaza, 222 Huai Hai Zhong Lu
Opening
hours
Mon
– Thurs 9.30 am – 8pm
Fri
– Sun 9.30am – 6.30 pm
Phone
5396 6538
First
consultation – RMB 60
Filling
– RMB 200 –400
Porcelain
crown RMB 2,600
You
should make an appointment one day in advance. Receptionist’s English is
average. The waiting room is busy.
Case
example: 500 RMB or less including extraction, anaesthetic and two follow up
consultations.
Dentists
speak English. Recommended by
foreigners.
Acupuncture
Dr Li’s Chinese Medicine Clinic Rm C, 5/F, No 28, Lane 18 hongquio Lu Phone 3424 1989 You must make an appointment.
Registration fee is RMB 120 and a consultation costs RMB 150 (for
about 20 minutes). Dr Li speaks English. A
comprehensive website in English and Chinese is found at:
http://www.rhwx.com/zhyl/lj.htm
Vaccinations and medication
You
may arrive in Shanghai having already had several vaccinations, but with
South-East Asia right at your doorstep, you’ll probably find yourself needing
more for holidays. Recommended is
the Shanghai International Travel Healthcare Center, as mentioned above. They do vaccinations Monday through
Friday in the afternoon, at a very reasonable price. Japanese Encephilitis is RMB 20 per shot
(3 shots) and Rabies is less than RMB 500 for a course of 3 injections. Take your passport and record of
vaccinations. This healthcare
centre also sells travel medication, such as malaria tablets, RMB 30 for a one
month course.
Medication
is readily available in the many pharmacies in Shanghai but you may have
difficulty trying to express what you want. Fortunately, most pharmacies have a
medication guide with Chinese/English, so even if you don’t have the name
written in Chinese you can probably find it in the book with the help of the
staff. Try any of the pharmacies
along Huai Hui Rd, some staff in the Parkson supermarket pharmacy (cnr Huai Hui
and Shanxi Lu, nearest metro Shanxi Lu) speak English.
Support groups
Shanghai
has a few support groups. These
include:
Cancer support group
Offers
encouragement and information.
Anonymous.
Elisha
Feller 6268 6005
A group for breastfeeding mothers and mothers-to-be. International
Mother’s Support Group :
Pippa
Warndorff: imsgshanghai@hotmail.com
La Leche League Shanghai:
Erica
: phone 13818057044 email eurikagene@yahoo.com
Holds
monthly meetings and gives support and information for breastfeeding mothers.