The clinic at the Shanghai Children's Medical Center has been on a trial run since December. Officials said that it has already built a favor-able reputation among Shanghai's growing overseas community.

"We have been receiving five to six patients a day," Dr. Wang Zhiping, the clinic's director, said yesterday.

An estimated about 70,000 expatriates live in Shanghai, including 5,000 children. With economic growth seeing an upturn, the over-seas population is expected to rise, with children under the age of 18 forecast to grow by 35 percent annually.

Until the new center, there was no special pediatric clinic for them.

Wang said most expatriate children have been treated at joint venture clinics or the special units for foreigners at local hospitals.

"But many of them prefer to go back home or to Hong Kong as they are not satisfied with the existing medical facilities in the city or have no insurance coverage," Wang said.

Currently, Shanghai has 25 joint venture clinics which treat overseas patients.

A market survey con-ducted last year found that expatriates pay more attention on hospital hygiene, medical technology, environment, service and languages.

"We worked on those aspect and hopefully the center will serve the needs of the overseas community," Wang said.

Doctors at the center said the biggest hurdle for them was building up confidence with the families.

"Foreigners have an impression that local medical facilities are lagging behind. We make good efforts on communicating with them and providing them with high-quality service," Wang said.

The clinic charges 200 yuan (US$24) for registration - three times the normal registration charges for overseas patients at other hospitals. But other expenses like consultations, medicines, etc., are more or less the same as in other joint venture clinics in the city.

(eastday.com April 12, 2002)