Ambulance and first aid

Ambulance and first aidThe first thing you ought to know about the local medical service is the emergency call number.You can dial 120 (Chinese service only at the moment) from anywhere.An ambulance car will arrive in a few minutes,which depends on the traffic conditions.The ambulance car will carry you to one of the emergency centers in the city,or the particular hospital you designated,such as the one on your medical insurance list.You will be charged for the service,but the fare won't be very high,which depends on the emergency treatment you received and the distance from the emergency center to your location.The city has totally 39 first aid stations with 19 in downtown area and 20 in suburbs.In general,you will get the service from the nearest station which you can find from the map on the official Website of Shanghai Medical Emergency Center.Hospitals for expatsThe city has dozens of hospitals,clinics and dentists established for foreigners.Some of them are a part of local hospitals.The list below is from Shanghai Foreign Investment Development Board,which includes a small proportion of all those clinics.You will also get a name list from your consulate-general to the city or offered by your insurance company,which may designate several local hospitals as your insurance-covered spots.Some of them can offer a full range of medical services,such as surgical operation,medical check and in-patient service,while others,such as some small clinics,may give you a diagnosis on some slight symptoms.If you want to see a doctor,you may choose one of them by making appointment through telephone or the Website.Besides the hospitals,dentists are also available for foreigners.You need to make sure whether your insurance will cover the charge or you just pay the bill yourself before go to the dentists,most of which are joint ventures.PharmaciesSometimes,your doctor may give you a prescription for you to buy drugs in drugstores.Go to one of the local drug stores and show the chemist the prescription before you get the medicine from him or her.Drugs in independent drugstores are often cheaper than those in hospital pharmacies,as they often mark up the price to earn profit.Medicines sold in Chinese drug stores may not have their instructions written in English.So,you should get the instruction from your doctor.You can also get the medicine from pharmacies in hospitals,but most of the expat hospitals don't have their own pharmacies.Some expat hospitals also have vaccination services,you may get such kind of information from their Websites..

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