Shangdi Hospital, Beijing's first hospital targeting people on low incomes, started trial operations on November 7, 2005.

Located in Xiangshucun, Haidian District, and covering 8,000 square meters, the hospital was jointly funded by Haidian Hospital and Haidian Maternal and Child Health Hospital.

It is the first Grade-2 hospital established for the Shangdi area's population of 600,000 and the first emergency medical and maternity center for people on low incomes and migrant workers in the capital.

According to Wang Ling, the hospital's principal, the average cost of delivering a baby in Beijing is 2,000-3,000 yuan (US$247-370), unaffordable for many low-income families and meaning poorer pregnant women often bear higher risks.

But in the new maternity center, the cost from prenatal examination to delivery is 1,000 yuan (US$124) and the center provides free transport for those who need it.

In the emergency medical center, low-income patients can receive treatment for acute problems immediately. For some, their bills will be paid by the district government of Haidian.

Over 500 medicines in the hospital's pharmacy will be sold for 5-15 percent lower than those in other hospitals' pharmacies and consulting costs are lower than those set by Beijing Municipal Price Bureau. If the low-income patients are from Haidian District, they will have a 20 percent discount on their fees.

Shangdi Hospital will be officially inaugurated by the end of the month, according to Wang.

(Beijing Times translated by Li Shen November 13, 2005)