A Shanghai hospital is nothing to fear. Read our tips before you visit.
The quality of medical care in Shanghai has improved rapidly in the last two decades. It wasn’t long ago that expats from all over China would travel to Hong Kong or further afield for their healthcare needs. Now, however, you can find a wide variety of quality medical care providers in Shanghai.
Healthcare options for Shanghai expats include the main section of a public Shanghai hospital, the VIP ward in some public hospitals, or one of several international hospitals and clinics.
In this article we introduce the medical care provided by the main section of a public Shanghai hospital. We also look at the high-end care provided by the more expensive VIP wards; also known as the International Medical Department.
For more information on international hospitals and clinics please see our Shanghai international hospital article.
We have a list of hospitals in our Shanghai Hospital Guide at the end of this article.
For other Shanghai Healthcare issues you can check out these articles:
Public Shanghai Hospitals
State-owned public hospitals are the heart of the Chinese healthcare system.
Some of the public hospitals are comprehensive hospitals offering all types of medical care. Others are more specialized, such as the Shanghai Chest hospital for heart issues, or the Shanghai Skin Disease and STD Hospital for sexually transmitted disease issues.
Unlike in the West where family doctors and clinics handle most outpatient services, Chinese prefer to visit public hospitals for outpatient consultations in addition to inpatient and emergency medical services.
There are more and more neighborhood clinics opening up around China, but most Chinese believe the doctors at public hospitals are more qualified and have access to higher quality medical equipment.
Both of these perceptions are basically true, based on how the Chinese healthcare system developed in the last 30 years. It has led, however, to over-crowded hospitals and poor preventative care. The government has begun to tackle these issues through its medical reform programs, but it will take time to change people’s habits.
Shanghai Fever Clinics – Testing for COVID-19
Many of the public hospitals in Shanghai have Fever Clinics where you can be tested for various contagious diseases including COVID-19.
The Shanghai Daily has published a list of all the Fever Clinics in Shanghai including their addresses in English.
Some of the international hospitals in Shanghai also offer the nucleic acid test for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2; the official name of the virus which causes COVID-19.
Please see our other article to learn more about what is COVID-19.
Medical Emergencies
Most Shanghai hospitals have emergency departments where you can go after the regular hours of their outpatient sections. Emergency hotline numbers for Shanghai are:
- Ambulance: 120 (equivalent of 911)
- Xinhua Hospital’s English hotline: 2507 8999
- International SOS: 5298 9538
- Shanghai Call Center for Translation Services: 962288
- Shanghai United Family Healthcare Emergency Hotline: 2216 3999 (International Hospital)
Booking an Appointment at a Public Shanghai Hospital
In recent years many websites, mobile apps and WeChat official accounts for booking a Shanghai doctor appointment have been launched. Unfortunately, the Shanghai doctor appointment apps, such as WeiYi (WeChat ID: weiyi_shiye), require a Chinese ID number to register, so not very useful for expats.
This is a big disadvantage compared to Beijing. The popular doctor appointment app there, 114 Health (WeChat ID: beijing114guahao), allows foreigners to use their passport to register and book an appointment for a public Beijing hospital.
The traditional way to book a doctor’s appointment at a Shanghai hospital was to go directly to the hospital. First you need to apply for a hospital medical card with your passport. This is done in the main lobby of the hospital. You have to pay in cash for this card; about RMB 50, so be prepared. Fortunately, you can pay for other services at the hospital with Alipay wallet, Wechat pay or a bank card.
With the hospital card, you will go to the specific medical department for your sickness, and then wait in line to register for an appointment. There are a limited number of appointments each day, so patients often have to arrive early in the morning to get one of them.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many hospitals in China require you to book appointments in advance and don’t accept drop-ins. So unless you can find a Chinese friend to help you book an appointment online, you might have to go to the VIP ward of a public hospital (introduced below), or choose a Shanghai international hospital instead.
Shanghai Hospital Procedures
After you have booked your appointment and checked-in (Bàodào – 报到) when you arrive at the correct department of the hospital, you will wait in the waiting area until your number is shown on a large digital screen.
When your number appears, you will enter a small consultation room to meet the doctor.
The doctor must see many patients each day, so don’t expect the consultation to last very long. Most consultations last less than 10 minutes.
After asking the reason for your visit, the doctor will do a few health checks with their instruments. If they don’t find anything serious, they might give you a prescription and ask you to come back another day if your ailment doesn’t improve. Otherwise, they will order tests, which they will rely on for their diagnosis.
Tests at a Shanghai Hospital
If the doctor thinks you might have an infection or a more serious problem, they will order bloodwork and other tests at the hospital.
You will first need to pay upfront for any tests. With your payment receipt you will head to the area of the hospital where the tests are carried out. There, you will hand in your medical card and receipts and wait for your name and number to be shown on the digital screen.
Blood tests cost from RMB 50-400 (US$7-60), depending on what is being tested. Still, quite cheap relative to Western standards.
You can get the results for many of the tests within one hour, but some will require you to come back another day. As hospitals take lunch breaks, you might end up having to wait until after lunch to take the tests, and/or get the results.
If you are able to get the test results before the outpatient section closes for the day, you can return to the outpatient area and try to find your original doctor. You do not need to book a new appointment or wait long in line for your original doctor to check the test results if they are available the same day.
If you get the test results near the end of the day or another day you will have to book a new appointment to have a doctor go over them with you.
Hospital Pharmacy
If your doctor gives you a prescription you will first pay the fee and then head to the pharmacy section of the hospital.
You can hand in your receipts at the designated counter, but usually will need to wait nearby until your name and number is displayed on a screen before collecting your medicine.
Some Chinese doctors like to prescribe intravenous (IV) instead of pills for antibiotics. If you are prescribed the IV, then you will have to sit for a few hours in a special room with many other patients, and possibly need to come back for several days to complete your treatment. If your time is limited you can tell the doctor and ask for pills instead.
China has specialized Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) hospitals (中医医院, Zhōngyī yīyuàn), but even in the Western medicine hospitals (西医医院, Xīyī yīyuàn) doctors will often prescribe some Chinese medicine to go along with your Western medicine prescription.
Shanghai Hospital Inpatient Service
If the doctor decides you require hospitalization or surgery they will give you a hospitalization form. You will take this to the designated counter to book a bed. You will first need to pay a deposit that will more than cover all the potential fees for your operation, medicine and other charges.
Before you become an inpatient, you should pick up some extra clothes, toiletries, reading materials and other supplies. The hospital will provide a thin hospital robe, but little else. Most Chinese patients will have relatives visit them daily to bring supplies and look after them.
Shanghai hospitals provide food service for inpatients. Someone will come by to take your order each day, although there is little choice.
When taking advantage of the cheap rates of a Shanghai hospital you will have to share a room with several other patients. If you wish to have a private room you will need to go to the VIP ward or choose an international hospital instead.
Most expats who have had surgery in the large public Shanghai hospitals are quite impressed with the very clean and modern surgery rooms. The larger hospitals often use equipment from international manufacturers such as Siemens, GE and Philips or reputable local brands.
It is also impressive how quickly you can arrange for a surgery at a Shanghai hospital, often within just a few days of visiting a doctor.
Shanghai Doctors
Doctors in China are broadly divided into General doctor (Pǔtōng yīshēng – 普通医生), Department head/Chief Doctor (Zhǔrèn yīshēng – 主任医生), and Specialist doctor (Zhuānjiā yīshēng – 专家医生).
The Department head (or vice-head) and specialists are only on duty a limited number of days per week. General doctors are available everyday so easier to book and cheaper.
If you have a health problem that has been bothering you for some time, seeing a specialist could be a good idea, but otherwise the general physicians are more than adequate.
The consultation fee to see a general doctor in Shanghai is around RMB 40 (US$ 5.80), and to see a Chief doctor or specialist anywhere from RMB 60 – 500 (US$ 8.60 – 72.10).
The doctors at the large Shanghai public hospitals come from the top medical universities in China. They go through intense University and residency programs before graduating.
Since 2010, all Shanghai doctors go through the same standardized three-year residency program at one of the city’s top hospitals before being licensed to practice.
Shanghai doctors hold numerous consultations and carry out many medical procedures each year. Due to this intensive work schedule, their skills improve very quickly. Shanghai doctors also receive on-the-job training so they are kept up to date with the newest procedures and medications from around the world.
Medical Insurance
Public hospitals will not accept private medical insurance for direct billing in their standard care main section.
However, many private insurance policies will allow you to be reimbursed for qualified expenses from a public hospital in China based on receipts and medical forms.
Before you use any medical services in Shanghai, first check with your medical insurance provider to understand what your policy covers and what hospitals are approved. Some policies only cover inpatient services, while more expensive policies might cover outpatient fees such as consultations and tests.
Also be sure that you know what documents are required to be submitted in order to be reimbursed.
Shanghai Hospital Care Drawbacks
Although Shanghai expats can enjoy relatively cheap service from a public Shanghai hospital, you will need to accept its drawbacks which include:
Long Wait Times
Shanghai is a city of more than 23 million people, all sharing a limited number of hospitals. Most Chinese are attracted to use the same well-known large public Shanghai hospitals that expats would like to use.
So, be prepared to wait in several lines during the different stages of your hospital visit. Many of these waits could last more than one hour. You might have to miss a whole day or more of work just to complete your consultation and tests.
Since the good reputation of Shanghai hospitals extends to smaller cities and towns nearby, some people from neighboring areas will also come to Shanghai for their healthcare, thereby increasing wait times.
Long wait times for out-patient care was the number one complaint expressed by local patients in a survey in Shanghai.
Fortunately, this issue has improved with the mobile apps and websites for booking appointments.
Language Barrier
As mentioned, it is very difficult to book a doctor’s appointment at a Shanghai hospital if you don’t speak and read Chinese.
Most Shanghai doctors speak some basic English, but only a few can speak fluently. In the hospital you will also need to deal with many other healthcare staff while you register, pay for medicine, take your tests etc. Most of them will understand very little English.
The nurses usually do their best to help foreigners, but they are also very busy so you shouldn’t have high expectations. Having a Chinese-speaking friend to accompany you and act as translator, therefore, is critical if you can’t speak Chinese yourself.
Lack of Privacy
During consultations, taking tests and other interactions at the hospital, don’t expect much privacy.
Often the door will stay open during your consultation. Other patients and staff will frequently enter while you are receiving care.
Lack of Personal Care
In the West, it is common to use the same family doctor and clinic over many years. They will learn about your family medical history and your overall health issues, in addition to your current ailment. They will keep your records for many years and consult them each time.
At a Shanghai hospital, however, you will rarely see the same doctor twice. Even if you do they probably won’t remember you due to the large number of patients they see each day.
Recently, some hospitals will keep basic records of your previous visits which doctors can access on their computers with your hospital card. These mainly just include what operations you had or prescriptions you received.
As there are so many patients, the doctor will only have a short time to see each one. Five to ten minutes for a consultation for basic healthcare issues is the norm.
Lack of Preventative Care
Shanghai doctors might give you some general preventative healthcare advice, but this is usually no more than “stop drinking and smoking and go to bed early.”
So, although the physicians’ medical skills cannot be questioned, you might come out wondering if they should be checking more thoroughly, and giving you better advice for your long-term health. Chinese doctors don’t have the time to give you the peace of mind which can be important for your overall health and well-being.
If you highly value personal care, the international hospitals and clinics in Shanghai are worth the extra money.
Shanghai Hospital VIP Ward
Some public Shanghai hospitals have established VIP wards; often called the International section. These special wards were originally setup for expats, but now also serve wealthy local residents who are willing to pay higher prices for more personal care.
Some of these VIP wards are joint-ventures set up in cooperation with overseas medical institutes or investors. The first to do so was the Huashan Hospital in Jingan district. It set up the Huashan Worldwide Medical Center in 1989, which is located in a building inside the Huashan Hospital grounds.
These facilities often make use of the same Chinese doctors and equipment from the public hospital they are connected to. They will choose, however, doctors with better English language skills so they can communicate with foreigners. The nurses and other staff in these VIP wards also speak better English than those in the main section of the hospital.
It is possible to book a doctor appointment in English over the phone for some of the VIP wards. If it is difficult to dial in, you can also just go there directly to book an appointment at the front desk.
When you go to the VIP section of the hospital, you will not need to wait in long lines, and they can usually arrange for a doctor to see you quite quickly.
The consultation rooms are much bigger and you will have more privacy. Some simple tests might be delivered in the VIP section directly, but for more complex tests you will be escorted by a nurse back into the main section of the hospital, where you will usually be taken to the front of the line and have the tests done immediately.
If you require hospitalization, then you can get a comfortable private or semi-private room, and you will have doctors and nurses visiting you more frequently than in the standard section.
VIP Ward Fees
The fees charged in a VIP ward are much higher than those charged in the main section of a Shanghai hospital.
The consultation fee for a VIP ward is more inline with what you would pay at an international hospital in Shanghai; RMB 500 – 1,500 (US$ 72 – 216). The tests and treatments you have in the VIP ward will cost 4-10 times the price charged in the main section of the public hospital.
Some of the VIP wards cooperate with private medical insurance companies to facilitate direct billing. You should check with your insurance provider first to find out which hospitals in Shanghai they cooperate with for direct billing.
Shanghai Hospital Guide
Public Shanghai Hospitals and VIP Wards
- Huashan Hospital VIP Ward (WorldWide Medical Center)
Huashan Hospital, No.12 Wulumiqi Zhong Road, Xuhui District
Tel: 64931507, 62489999, 52889999 - Renai Hospital International Medical Center
- Shanghai East International Medical Center (SEIMC)
24-hour emergency hotline: 58799999 - RuiJin Hospital (Jiaotong University)
Tel: 63240090 ext 668202 - Fudan University Zhongshan Hospital
- Shanghai General (First) Hospital
International Hospitals and Clinics in Shanghai:
- Jiahui Health Clinic
Jingan, Yangpu
Tel: 4008683000 - Jiahui Hospital
Xuhui
Tel: 4008683000 - United Family Hospital
Changning, Pudong
Tel: 22163999, 4006393900 - Global Healthcare
Jingan, Pudong - Parkway Health (Gleneagles)
Jingan, Pudong, Jinqiao
Tel: 4008196622, 64455999 - Columbia Clinic
Jingan - American-Sino OBGYN Women’s & Children’s Hospital
Xuhui - Delta Health Clinic and Hospital
Hongqiao, Qingpu
Tel: 22139777 - Raffles Medical Group
Xuhui
Tel: 61972300 - World Path Clinic
- Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine (the clinic)
- Landseed Hospital
- Shanghai Chiropractic
- Red Leaf Maternity Hospital
- Shanghai Sky Clinic