A new luxury hospital for new mothers will open in Shanghai's
Putuo district during the Christmas Season.
Shanghai Youth Daily reports the hospital will provide the same
services as a five-star hotel with a first-class nursing service.
Facilities will include a golf course, tennis court, swimming pool
and yoga gym. The hospital will also run classes to teach new
mothers how to care for their babies and keep their figures
trim.
All the services at the facility come with a sky-high price tag
attached. The luxury president's suites will charge a hefty 9,880
yuan (US$ 1,263) a day, while normal suites will cost more than
1,300 yuan (US$ 166) per day. The newspaper estimates a woman would
spend thousands of yuan at the hospital by the end of her
postpartum period.
Wang Yiliang, one of the hospital managers, says many rooms have
already been booked by local residents and people come from Hong
Kong, Macao and Taiwan, who are currently living in Shanghai.
But the newspaper conducted a random street survey which
suggested most locals consider the hospital a luxury rather than a
necessity.
According to the Chinese lunar calendar, 2007 is the Year of the
Golden Pig. It's traditionally considered one of the most
auspicious years to give birth.
(CRI December 15, 2006)
