Doctors, insurance and emergencies in Shanghai

Three tiers of care

Ordinary public hospital outpatient departments are cheap, capable and organised around numbered queues, registration windows and a great deal of Chinese. The same hospitals run special-needs or international departments where you book a specific senior doctor, wait less and are more likely to find English. Above that sit the private international hospitals and clinics, which are comfortable, entirely English-speaking, and priced on the assumption that an insurer is paying.

• Public outpatient registration is cheap and first-come, first-served.
• Hospital special-needs and international departments cost more and book by appointment.
• Private international clinics and hospitals are the default for insured arrivals.

Insurance and social insurance

Most people arriving on an employment package hold international private medical insurance, and it is what makes the private tier accessible. Check whether the policy is written to include mainland China and whether it settles directly with the clinics you intend to use, because paying up front and reclaiming is common and cash-flow-unfriendly. Foreign employees with work permits are generally also enrolled in the Chinese social insurance scheme, though bilateral agreements with some countries affect which components apply.

• Confirm your policy covers mainland China and check the direct-billing network.
• Ask whether maternity, dental and evacuation cover are included or sub-limited.
• Social insurance enrolment for foreign employees varies with nationality and bilateral agreements — confirm with your employer.

Pharmacies and everyday care

Pharmacies are common, open long hours and stock both Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine, often in the same shop. Many drugs that require a prescription elsewhere are available over the counter, and some that you take routinely at home may not exist here under any name. Bring a supply of anything you depend on, along with the generic name written down, and check with a doctor early rather than assuming a substitute will be found.

• Bring generic drug names, not brand names — brands differ.
• Some routine Western medications are unavailable or restricted; check before you rely on finding them.
• Delivery apps will bring over-the-counter medicine to the door within the hour.

In an emergency

120 summons an ambulance, 110 is the police and 119 the fire service. Ambulance dispatchers usually operate in Chinese, so having a Chinese-speaking colleague or a translation app to hand matters. Ambulances take you to a nearby public hospital rather than your preferred private one, and for anything that is urgent but not life-threatening, a taxi or a ride-hail to a hospital you have chosen in advance is frequently faster. Decide which hospital that is before you need it.