November 4th, 2005Went to three hospitals in Shanghai recently
I’ve been quite busy lately. Des was staying at the hospital and had surgery. He got injured during his P.E class. They were playing soccer and he was the goal-keeper. Some guy kicked his hand when trying to get the ball. Ouch. 
I’ve met the guy . He is quite nice and seemed genuinely sorry about the whole thing. I guess guys get a tad excited when playing soccer.
Some info about hand fractures here.
Fortunately, architecuture students don’t have 期中考试 . Still, he won’t be able to work on his projects or write for 3 more weeks because his right hand has been put in a plaster cast after the surgery. (Note to myself: 打石膏 )
Doing everyday things with one hand only is frustrating. Poor thing.
I had accompanied him to 上海长海医院 and 同济大学附属同济医院.
上海长海医院
(according to the 就诊卡, 上海长海医院 地址：长海路174号 ,电话: （021）25072000)
According to its 眼屈光外科中心 website, the main website should be www.chhospital.com.cn but I cannot access the website right now.
We took a cab to go there. It was near Wujiaochang. There were a lot of people in the hospital. I didn’t know where to go and what to do. I guess I got a bit lost. The hospital procedures are a bit different from those in Mauritius. Anyway, I just followed Des. We asked around and learned that he must have a 就诊卡 made. I forgot how much he paid for it but it wasn’t much. Then there’s the 挂号 part. Des told the woman that it’s for 骨科 (Orthopedics) , paid the consultation fee (around RMB 14) and then took the piece of paper she gave him. We then went to look for the 骨科室. There were beds in the corridor. 很糟糕! The patients have no privacy. I suppose that there were no free beds in the 病房. The 骨科室 was a small room. Quite bare. Only two tables,several chairs and some books on the tables. I had to laugh upon seeing the wooden chairs inside. They had tied the chairs to each other using a metal chain. I suppose it’s to prevent thefts. The doctor was alright. It’s rather the condition of the hospital which surprised me.
I have seen only one section of that hospital. Maybe the rest of the hospital is alright. I don’t know and maybe I won’t ever know or see for myself. I couldn’t help but wonder how the hospital was like during the SARS outbreak period.
Anyway the doctor told us that the surgery and all other medical expenses will cost around RMB 10 000.
Good to know :
The hospital’s 住院手续 according to the Orthopedics website.
Also,
交通： 61、75、325、537、538、758、817、842、854、942长海医院站下或28、139、147、228、大桥三线、522、577、726、813、870兰花村站下穿过二军大校园即到。
门诊检查时间（手术时间另行预约）
周一至周五全天
(08：00—16：30)
双休日上午
(8：00—11：30)
同济大学附属同济医院
website
地址：上海市新村路389号 电话 :（021）56051080)
We took the 937 bus to go there and got off at the 志丹路 stop.
This hospital was nicer but there were so many people there. Des decided on this hospital instead of the previous one after a phone call from the guy who injured him. The guy and his gf went with us on that day. I don’t know the exact details but it seems that the guy knows some people. Phone calls have also been made to the International Students office and the head of the Architecture department and it seems that part of the medical expenses will be paid by our uni. After all, Des got injured during class and it was the teacher who told him to be the goal-keeper. The fact that Des is also an international student could also be the reason why the teachers have been so nice to him. Some teachers have visited him at the hospital and bringing gifts of fruits for him.
I’ve noticed that there’s this “门急诊病人意见征询表” on the website where we can make suggestions , rate the service and the attitude of the doctors, nurses & other people working in the hospital like those who press the buttons in the elevator, etc. Nice information in the 住院须知 section. (tip: Hover mouse over 住院须知 on the menu on the left)
—-
新华医院 (website)
I went there yesterday with some classmates to visit a classmate of mine. She has pneumonia. 
She is undergoing treatment right now and hopefully she’ll be out of hospital soon. It’s going to cost a lot for the medical fees and the room. Her room is RMB 200 per night. She didn’t ask for such a room. They just put her in that room. Apparently, foreigners cannot be put in the shared rooms with Chinese people. They had originally told her that she cannot be admitted to their hospital because they had no rooms and made her go to 上海第二人民医院 but it’s even more expensive there; RMB 800 per night. Then somehow, they managed to find a room for her when she went back there. The room is like a hotel room.They have two beds in the room, a big TV, a microwave oven and a small fridge. No one told my classmate about the microwave oven and the fridge. She found out by herself when she opened the cupboard and also because there was someone (a nurse? or just a cleaner? i forgot to ask) who came into her room to warm his/her lunch. My classmate also told me about the person who went into her room at 6am to say “Hello”. She told the person to leave. Strange people there. Anyway, I got to watch some documentary about Beijing while I was in the room. I’ve never been to Beijing but from what I’ve seen on TV, Beijing, esp. the hutong area , looks very grey. Where did all the colors go? This I have to see for myself. Maybe next year during the winter hols.
spam spam spam spam spam spam spam spam spam...
China’s health care is still at a really precarious status. Tho they have amazing pills, I had a killer headache for a week and went to see a brain specialist (waiting room same conditions as above > i gave dad every possible reason to go home. preferred to die instead) anyway, the pills calmed down the headache in just 2 hrs… woa
In China, life is not important. You always have to discuss money before they accept to cure ya. One of its dark sides, even in Guangdong
You guys went to 2 hospitals? how could Des travel with a broken arm? that sure hurts!
Sorry to hear about Des. Hope he’s fine right now.
That’s a lot of hospitals to be going over such a short period of time… Hope all heals well!
Was this your first time in a Chinese hospital? They are very different. If you think it was “bad” there, remember, you are in the DEVELOPED area of China… imagine what I have seen here in the northeast. I think my biggest problem was seeing a doctor spit on the floor of the hallway.
A few years ago when I went to a large hospital in ShenYang, they had those body temperature scanners, checking for SARS. The only problem was, they had them at one door. People who didn’t want to wait, or didn’t know, just walked through the other doors.
Jae is right… I’ve never had a pill knock out a headache like the little cheap things they have here.
Tell Des I wish him well. Sorry to hear he got hurt in class. Silly how we injury ourselves sometimes and the problems it causes.
Sorry your other friend is sick too.
Can you believe I am sick also. I am having some stomach maybe gallbladder trouble and going thru testing to find the problem so they can cure it. :confusion: I hope I get well soon the pain is terrible sometimes. :worried:
*hugs* 4 U
Visiting 3 hospitals?:shock:
I hope your friend Des will get better soon.:) Walking around with a broken arm is not comfortable at all
Whoa, that’s quite a lot of hospital visits for a few days!
Anyway, I hope that Des and your classmate gets well soon. Fractures are easy to cure, whereas pneumonia can be rather unpredictable. But I am sure that both parties will be fine.
And you are an extremely good friend to accompany your friends during such times.
I was quite surprised the first time I heard you have to pay to go to hospital in China. Thought it was a socialist state with free health care
No wonder people say it’s deeply capitalist now. Anyway, hope your friends get better soon.
Oh, another thing. I wouldn’t be surprised if the room that looked like a hotel room was just that. Two of our teachers recently went to DanDong and were taken to a hospital… for a hotel room. Seriously. One of them could not sleep very well, thinking of how many people may have died in his bed.