| I agree with DC. The hospitals here waste too much of the patients' time by having them pay too many times. Why can't they just let the patients pay at the end of the visit. I did ask an employee at a hospital this question. The answer I got shocked me. She said if they don't charge patients ahead of each service, some patients would leave(flee) without paying. The good thing though is that quite a few hospitals have the so-called VIP quarter, in which there are few patients in line. I used to go to Dongfang Hospital in Lujiazui in Pudong. I used its VIP service. The registration fee was 100 Yuan, which you pay at the VIP ward. Then a nurse accompanies you to the doctor in the regular ward. You pretty much see the doctor as the next patient. The nurse then take you to the drug store to get your medicines. So the money you paid is like buying priority priviledge, which means saving time. I think the 100Yuan paid is worth it for the time saved However, my impression was that the doctor seemed to prescribed me too many kinds of medicine. Some of which were entirely unncessary. I paid for 4 kinds of "medicines", but I found out one of them was just drink mix, which was sweet and minty. Some other private clinics for foreigners take advantages of the patients' health insurance coverage, and overcharge the patients arms and legs. So watch out for these unethical clinics or doctors. |
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