Luxury wards in Shanghai, mostly in private medical institutions, are unpopular with most locals because of high costs, the Shanghai Evening News reported.
The wards, with star-rated services and facilities, charge 1,200 yuan (US$145) a day, 10 times the cost for ordinary wards at top public hospitals such as Ruijin Hospital and Zhongshan Hospital.
Most patients in luxury wards are entrepreneurs, and the rest are foreigners, renowned sportsmen, singers and movie stars, said Yang Guoxian, president of Shanghai Humanity Hospital, one of the city's private medical providers.
He declined to name any occupants of the luxury wards, saying he should protect their privacy.
But Yang said occupancy rates on these wards are around 50 percent, far lower than that of ordinary wards in top public hospitals, where it's extremely hard to find a bed.
Covering an area of 90 square meters, a Shanghai Humanity Hospital luxury ward includes a rest section and a recreation section with a 10-square-meter sauna bathroom.
In comparison, an ordinary ward at a public hospital is usually 40 square meters and accommodates five to six patients. Patients on each floor share a bathroom.
(eastday.com January 2, 2003)
