A hospital solely for female patients has emerged recently in the Chinese capital Beijing, drawing wide attention as an indication of growing respect for women in Chinese society.

The Five Continent (Wuzhou) Woman Hospital, the first of its kind in the national capital, is geared to women patients in an age group of over 16 by providing them medicare, health checks and beauty services.

The hospital features mainly special clinics for women of varied age groups, including teenagers and those women without sexual experiences. Patients can either apply for membership of the hospital or come to register for special service at their disposal.

The privately-owned hospital, which started trial run in late June, received 50 female patients on the first day of operation, according to hospital sources.

The hospital is more like a hotel, with its buildings painted in pink, blue and yellow colors and numerous walls fixed with French type windows and cream-colored curtains.

"The specific designs of our hospital will help ease an air of depression on the part of the patients," according to hospital staff.

The hospital is expected to receive up to 300 patients per day. The limitation on the number of patients to receive will be conducive to guaranteeing quality service, noted a recent edition of Beijing Youth Daily.

Medical workers at the hospital are reminded of not using impolite words such as "Don't move" and "Stop screaming" and not ordering patients around, as a few Chinese doctors and nurses sometimes do in other hospitals.

The medical charges comply to the standards set by local price-control administration and even less than those at other hospitals, acknowledged Beijing Youth Daily.

(Xinhua News Agency July 9, 2004)