Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital East is the only Grade-III Class-A general hospital in Lin-gang Special Area of China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone. [Photo/WeChat account: shlgguanweihui]

A special, direct bus line from the Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital East -- in the Lin-gang Special Area of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone -- to Huinan town opened on Sept 3, promising to significantly improve the travel times of people going to and from the facility, local media reported.

Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital East is the only Grade-III Class-A general hospital -- the top classification for a general hospital in China -- in Lin-gang. The hospital not only serves the residents around Lin-gang, but also handles those in Huinan town, 30 kilometers away.

Currently the hospital, located in Shanghai city in East China, receives more than 800,000 outpatients and emergency medical patients every year, of whom more than 10 percent come are from Huinan town.

However, due to the long distance, patients in Huinan need to transfer more than twice to get to the hospital by bus and the round trip takes more than four hours, increasing the stress and difficulties for them to get medical services.

To this end, the idea of a dedicated bus line was put forward. Now, people in Huinan can take the special, which only takes 55 minutes each way.