When traveling to Shanghai, it's always smart to come prepared for any health issues that may arise during the trip. From small injuries to sudden discomfort, knowing how to navigate local emergency care lets you handle any situation easily, with zero last-minute confusion.

Public vs. Private Emergency Care: Quick Breakdown

First things first: understanding Shanghai's two main emergency care options helps you make quick, stress-free decisions when you need help fast. Public hospitals are budget-friendly and well-equipped for general treatment, but they come with common traveler drawbacks: extremely long wait times, crowded spaces, and almost no English-speaking medical staff.

Private international emergency facilities are the preferred pick for most tourists and new expats. Though priced at a premium, they deliver a far smoother experience with faster service, multilingual teams, private environments, and patient-focused care that eliminates typical overseas medical stressors.

Your Go-To 24/7 Multilingual Emergency Care: Jiahui Emergency Department

Open to all ages and patient cases

Jiahui Emergency Department offers fully inclusive care with no restrictions, catering to every traveler's needs. The medical team treats children, adults, seniors, and pregnant patients, covering nearly all common urgent, non-life-threatening health issues you may encounter in Shanghai.

No miscommunication during a crisis

Medical confusion is the biggest worry of seeking care abroad. Jiahui's multilingual medical staff removes this barrier completely, ensuring clear, accurate communication during diagnosis and treatment, so you always fully understand your care plan.

Streamlined, modern facilities

The ER is fitted with modern on-site labs and advanced imaging study such as CT/MRI and other medical equipment for fast, precise diagnostics and personalized gentle treatment.

The entire care process is highly efficient.

Save Jiahui International Hospital's 24/7 hotline and address on your phone.

Calling 120: Ambulance Basics for Tourists & Expats

If you need urgent on-site medical assistance, China's universal emergency ambulance number 120 is available to everyone, with no restrictions for expats or foreign tourists.

To speed up dispatch, prepare three key details before calling: your exact location, clear symptoms, and active contact number. Basic English or simple Chinese phrases are enough for operators to arrange timely help.

Note that ambulance rides are self-paid for all patients, even with public insurance. Keep around 500 RMB cash handy for emergencies; cash, WeChat, Alipay and international credit cards are all accepted. Most international insurance plans cover ambulance fees, so verify your policy in advance.

You can also call a taxi if you don't need an immediate ambulance. For non-Chinese speakers, we suggest you keep a 'Take me to' card with you with the information of Jiahui International Hospital or your preferred medical provider, so the driver can easily navigate to the destination.

Accepted Payment Methods

It is important to have several means of payment available in order to avoid delay in care.

Commercial Insurance: Jiahui International Hospital works with various insurance companies in order to provide the smoothest patient experience possible

Self-Pay:If you need to pay out of pocket, a deposit is commonly requested during registration. It is recommended to prepare 10,000-20,000 RMB in cash or e-payment.

Critical Care in a Full-Service Hospital

Services Provided:

1. Resuscitation

Management for sepsis, all types of shock, respiratory failure, heart failure, tumor-related complications, and other critical conditions.

2. Common Communicable Diseases Management

Evaluation and care for adults and children with a body temperature ≥ 37.3°C due to variety of ongoing infectious process.

3. Rabies Prevention

Rabies vaccination before/after exposure and animate bites, wound treatment, etc.

Diseases Treated:

1. Internal Medicine Emergencies

Fever, asthma, allergies, acute gastroenteritis, etc.

Coronary heart disease, arrhythmia, cerebral infarction and other cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

2. Surgical/Orthopedic Emergencies

Trauma, fracture, appendicitis, intestinal obstruction, etc.

3. Pediatric Emergencies

Fever, asthma, diarrhea, food allergies, trauma, etc.

4. OBGYN (Obstetrics and gynecology) Emergencies

Vaginal bleeding, ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, etc.

5. ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat) Emergencies

Acute inflammation, earache, foreign object removal, etc.

Other Services

Sexual Health Services

We provide discreet, full STI screening to help you stay informed about your sexual health. For screenings and prescriptions, please book an appointment in advance with our Family Medicine department via the Jiahui Health app, or call 400 868 3000.

PrEP – HIV Prevention Before Exposure

PrEP when used properly is extremely effective at preventing HIV. Taken daily, it lowers sexual HIV risk by ~99%. Ideal for anyone with ongoing HIV exposure risk.

PrEP options at Jiahui

• Daily oral pill (TDF/FTC) – simple to fit into your routine
• 2-month injectable PrEP (Cabotegravir/ Apretude) – given by a medical provider

PEP – Post-exposure Emergency HIV Medication

PEP is available at Jiahui for eligible exposure cases, with two prescription regimens: Biktarvy single-tablet therapy, or Raltegravir combined with TDF-FTC.

Please seek immediate medical assessment ASAP (within 72 hours) after potential HIV exposure.

Animal Bites & Rabies Emergency Guidance

Any animal bite or scratch during your trip requires timely emergency treatment, even if the wound seems minor. Rabies is extremely serious, with fatal outcomes once symptoms develop, but prompt medical intervention can fully eliminate risks. Pre-exposure vaccination is also available depending on your next destination.

Department of Emergency

Jiahui's Department of Emergency Medicine is constituted by an international team of licensed and well-trained emergency medicine physicians and nurses. They are highly skilled in providing timely diagnosis and treatment of various emergent medical conditions, such as headache, faint, loss of consciousness, pain, edema, difficult breathing, cough, vomit, diarrhea, bloody stool, abnormal urination, vaginal bleeding, injuries, etc. The Department is equipped with 17 single consulting rooms in which short-term observation and fluid infusion can be provided. Additionally, if required, emergency consultation can be promptly provided by our specialists from other medical departments, and surgical procedure and/or hospital admission can also be arranged as needed. Relying on the sound relationship with a number of local tertiary public hospitals, patients treated at Jiahui Emergency Department can be conveniently transferred to the public hospitals for further assessment and treatment.