About 5 - 6 years ago I rode in an Ambulance with a friend to a hospital in GZ, he had had a "mild" heart attack. When we arrived at the hospital, he got admitted and hooked up to all the machines etc while they did tests. I had to fill out a few forms but no questions about wanting possessions as collateral before admission. Compared to how "bad" I thought the situation could have been, it was actually quite professional and efficient.

Yes, I've been to China hospitals and find them rather professional. I also go for a physical checkup annually as a condition for having a driver's license in China (for car with a HK/China dual license plate) and find hospital staff friendly and polite in both Zhongshan and GZ.

Did you pay afterward, each day ?

I have a friend who was in the hospital in GZ for about 2 weeks. After each day, he got a bill in the early morning. He had to pay his bill by the afternoon.  If he didn't pay his bill, he would have been kicked out.


----------------------------

I think scootermonger is just complaining it's getting expensive, I agree.  My last visa about 11 months ago, was 130 USD. It was 100 a few years ago for a multi entry visa. For what he is saying it's now 140 for a 1 yr multi-entry visa for the USA.  

Others countries it's much less and different.

Are you familiar with the operational procedures of a medical center?  Even in HK, in any private hospital they would require you to have a credit card guarantee if you are not insured or admitted by a known doctor. Your friend didn't expect free medical services, did he?

No Rico - this thread is a place more for a discussion about the relative merits of the White Tiger and the price of hamburgers - it is neither a place which will give the due attention that such a weighty matter deserves nor will it accord enough respect to the members involved; there are other threads more suitable for such i.e Senior discussion forum etc - or you may even want to start a separate one just to discuss such and will accommodate a "search" if required in the future.

All I can and will say is that if the bros involved has decided NOT to bring up the matter for general discussion on the boards (even though quite apparently - from the Pm's being sent -  that they are still quite concerned about the matter and still do care about our forum) then it really is NOT up to you or I to bring it up for discussion - all we can do is wait for when they WILL so bring it up.

Now on your first topic about being drunk whilst posting - now that....THAT is certainly a topic very worthy of discussion here!!

SEAJ

[ Last edited by  SEAJ at 13-1-2011 12:49 ]

China's visa fee structure is based upon reciprocity - matching whatever a particular country charges for visas for entry into their country with what the China Foreign Ministry charges nationals of that country for Chinese visas.

FYI - the Foreign Ministry website in Hong Kong is very informative/all you'd need to know about China visa applications:
http://www.fmcoprc.gov.hk/eng/zgqz/blsjfy/

SEAJ

This bleak picture is precisely the reason why a few years back I started a JV with the Ministry of Health to offer Medical Assistance services in China. (I gave up a few years back - as the challenges AND the $$ resources required is just too overwhelming; just in case anybody is wondering if I have an agenda posting this up!!)

Chinese hospitals are run more like businesses rather than just pure medical service institutions - and as such, in the majority of cases, they WILL insist on prepayments before admittance. There are of course isolated cases when they will admit patients without such - but this is more to do with their "business judgement" than anything else; if a patient appears/accompanied by someone who appears to have the wherewithal to pay for treatment then of course they'll welcome him!  

But the "ordinary" patient is out of luck unless he does have CASH to prepay;  medical insurance cards or even some credit cards will NOT suffice as they just do NOT recognize them.

The AVERAGE occupancy rate of Chinese hospitals is around 130% - yes, you read that correct - they do have patients in corridors and linen closets - and as such, hospital administrators do have the luxury of being able to treat patients like crap.  Very unfortunate - but that IS the situation in such a vast country where resources ARE stretched.  A country with over 700,000 hospitals, over two and a half million doctors - but populated with 1.3 billion people!  Figures in China are always staggering!

SEAJ

Errrr... Geo - you KNOW that I have a lot of respect for you and your knowledge/opinion/sharing of information -  and if you don't mind - I'd like to impose on your good nature and balanced thinking to bring up something.
//////////
Guys:

I'd like to think that this thread is a nice place to hang out at, shoot the breeze, joke around blah blah blah - and I would like to NEVER have any flame wars erupting.  Pointed remarks such as what Geo wrote is an example as to what I would very much prefer NOT to see on this particular thread.  It can easily erupt into such a flame war - which is OK (I guess) in other threads as the thread itself usually just dies out by itself and the participants to the war just go away to do whatever.

So let's keep the remarks to just harmless ribbing and the usual tom-foolery.

Thanks to all and a special Thanks to Geo for allowing me to bring up this subject which is quite central to the hoped for "feel-good" factor on this thread.

SEAJ

PS - and BTW - from what I know,  think Scootermonger is actually a resident of Shanghai and has actually been running a successful business there for quite a while

Due to the type of business I run, I have to get about 8-15 tourist visa's a month for touring DJ's/Musicians.  I live in Shanghai, its not about punting in China.

Have you thought about getting a business visa for them ?  I think there are good for 2 years and multi entries into China.  Do not know about the cost if they are the same for tourist visas.

Sorry guys - for the multiple posting and NOT consolidating all my replies on one post; but each subject is so stand-alone that I figure I needed to separate them on separate posts for ease of reference/replies/comments.

Anyway...back to more important matters!

Nekkid pictures!

Guys - go right ahead and post up your own pictures of gals - for whatever reason, with or without a narrative, beauties or fuglies, recent or dated ones etc - but of course with the required RA's AND down-sized first.

I LOVE pictures (my simple mind can only accomodate so much written words before it totally stalls and dies without pictures!) and I believe most guys are the same.  

PICTURES ROCK!!

SEAJ

[ Last edited by  SEAJ at 13-1-2011 13:41 ]

I also have a lot of respect for Geoduck. Yes, he has a lot of knowledge/opinion/sharing of information. He is very informative.

My point was my friend had to pay his bill after every day while he was in the hospital.  It wasn't before entering the hospital in GZ.

Unfortunately, I have some respiratory problems therefore I am in the hospital every couple of months for exams and checkups and I can assure you that even the best hospitals in Shanghai are a F'ing Zoo compared to any of the foreign hospitals.  Though the hospitals do have some of the newest and nicest equipment, it still takes a trained human to run these machines.  I know a doctor that works both at Parkway Medical ( fancy expat hosptial ) along with a local Chinese hospital and she also said what SEAJ said that Chinese hospitals functions more like a standard business and the 130% occupancy thing is 100 percent right.  Anytime I go to the hospital, on just about every floor there are beds with sickly elders in every hallway, even when my own SO's mother was sick, she couldn't get a room at any local hospitals.  The hospitals here are just too busy to provide detailed care to patients, every hospital in SH at any given time is packed with people.  

I have a friend's father who was left to die at the hospital because he couldn't get his proof of funds available in time as he was an expat.  From what I remember, in the States if you arrive under some sort of emergency situation, the hospital is to treat you before they ask you for money.

Business Visa's are very impractical for international DJ's that come to my club to play once and leave the country.  Also the formalities/paperowrk that one needs to go thru to get a business visa is quite a lengthy process, the price of the visa stays the same as well.  For tax reasons, it is also very impractical.  The DJ's/Musicians have to apply for these visa themselves previous to entering China, therefore its quite difficult to apply for business visas.

Yes - the bleak picture you've painted is actually quite accurate.

OTH - I've also seen in China some of the most lavish hospitals anywhere in the world.  Hospital Suites not only with separate lving room, dining room, full kitchen, huge balconiy but also an actual jaccuzi, massage bench and steam room in the bathroom. Plus FULL conference facilities on the floor!

And yes, Chinese hospitals do have some of the most state-of-the-art equipment around; anytime they replace equipment - they jump several generations and go from candle lit models to the latest available in the world.  They've got all sorts of money to invest in these machines unlike hospitals in a lot of other countries.

As such, hospitalizzation in China CAN be very expensive. My recommendation to ANYBODY going into China is for them to have good medical insurance coverage which in turn is associated with a good Medical assistance company in China.  Much as I hate to say this - since they WERE my competitor previously - but just about the only reliable Medical Assistance company IMHO is S.O.S. The others...welll....!

SEAJ
grammar edits

[ Last edited by  SEAJ at 13-1-2011 17:03 ]

Weelock LOL!!

You're showing your age!!  LOL

Yeah in your Disco dancin' days - DJ's stay and work at one club a stretch at a time!

This is TODAY - and DJ's are celebrities on their own right - and they are like singers who would make an "appearance" at a venue or another.  A night or a couple/maximum short period.

Scooter - can't you work with an Impresario who's only job is bringing in Stars, singers and I guess Dj's to all over the place - and who SHOULD be the one to handle such visa matters?  

SEAJ

[ Last edited by  SEAJ at 13-1-2011 14:41 ]

We use a chain of independent promoters at our club and its their job to book talent, promote the night and clear visas.  Middle men are not worth it for the scale of business we are doing.  

HAHAHA and yes your right regards to weelock haha, i just didn't wanna say anything.  Im sure he is a fine fella.

A good dj is definitely a celebrity in their own right, anybody who's ever tried, will then realize its not as easy as they think.  Established dj's are making anywhere from 2000usd to 30,000 usd a night.  The dj's at this level are usually touring 4 days of the week 6-7 months at a time.  It's definitely a decent living if your good at it, kind of like any other career in life i guess.

Wow, I'd like to be the guy at the end of the line handling all the poor dear rejected White Tigers.  They need love too.

Che'lu

Tell me - what is the "Scene" like in your club?

I presume it's NOT a P4P type of place and just where the Shanghai with-it crew (do they still use the term Yuppies?) go and do their thing - but is there any "infiltration" by the P4P ladies?

And if not - how easy is it to pick up civvies in your club.  Or should I just resign myself to going to Zapata's to pretend that I'm still a cocksman?!

SEAJ
Edit Ps - It's just so effing hard to keep "It" up when it's so darn cold - constant battle against shrivelling up before it can reach a warm nookie!

[ Last edited by  SEAJ at 13-1-2011 15:33 ]