Jinshan to Ruijin in 20 Minutes: Shanghai Runs Full-Chain Air Medical Drill as Ruijin Hospital Jinshan Campus Opens

Published: August 29, 2026  |  Category: Industry

According to reporting published on August 27, 2026 by the Jinshan District Media Center (The Paper account "iJinshan"), on that morning Ruijin Hospital and the Police Aviation Corps of the Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau conducted a full-chain air medical rescue drill to prepare emergency medical support for the opening of the Ruijin Hospital Jinshan campus. On August 28, according to China News Service Shanghai, the Jinshan campus officially opened. Within two days, Shanghai's southwestern suburbs completed two key moves — opening a new hospital and putting an air medical rescue capability in place. Based on reporting by The Paper and China News Service, this article recaps the drill and the opening, and examines what they mean for the normalization of hospital-to-hospital air medical transport.

1. The Drill: A "20-Minute Lifeline" for a Severely Burned Patient

As reported by The Paper, the drill simulated a patient with severe burns in Jinshan District being rushed to the Ruijin Hospital Jinshan campus; given critical burns complicated by inhalation injury and early shock, the patient required immediate helicopter transfer to Ruijin Hospital's main campus for further treatment. The whole process was swift and effective: from departure at the Jinshan campus to arrival at the main campus, the transfer took just 20 minutes — winning critical treatment time for a severely burned patient. Road transport between Jinshan and the main campus typically takes more than an hour, and longer during peak traffic. For time-dependent critical conditions such as severe burns and traumatic shock, a 20-minute air corridor fundamentally changes the treatment window.

2. Who Backs Shanghai's Air Medical System: Ruijin Hospital's Triple Role

The Paper's reporting also described Ruijin Hospital's position in Shanghai's air medical system: Ruijin Hospital is the only institution in Shanghai responsible for building the National Emergency Medical Rescue Base, and Shanghai's first air medical rescue center base hospital. It undertakes air rescue for major public health emergencies and critical patients in Shanghai, trains professional medical personnel for China's air rescue operations, and contributes to national standardized air medical rescue procedures — and it is currently the hospital in Shanghai that has completed the most air rescue missions. The Jinshan campus will draw on the main campus's air medical rescue advantages and resources to open a "green channel" for air medical rescue during public health emergencies in Jinshan District. In other words, this is not "a new campus with a helipad," but the transplantation of a mature air medical rescue system into a suburban district.

3. Opening Details: 400 Beds, 48 Disciplines — and an Air Rescue Green Channel

According to China News Service's August 28 report, the Ruijin Hospital Jinshan campus has a total floor area of 98,000 square meters, with 400 beds open in phase one and a long-term plan of 1,200. Its outpatient services cover all 48 disciplines and sub-specialties of Ruijin Hospital, inpatient services span 28 national key disciplines, and nearly 50 specialist outpatient clinics run daily. The campus has also established a bed-sharing green channel with the main campus — patients can register directly for main-campus admission while at the Jinshan campus — and its emergency department is expected to begin service in the first half of 2027. Academician Ning Guang, president of Ruijin Hospital, said the campus will operate under "vertical management, integrated operation, and homogeneous medical quality." At the drill itself, Gu Zhidong, vice president of Ruijin Hospital and executive dean of the Jinshan campus, defined the operational reach of the air rescue capability: "Ruijin's air medical emergency capability covers not only southern Shanghai, but also Jinshan and its surroundings — even the entire Hangzhou Bay region."

Disclaimer: This article is based on public reporting: The Paper (account "iJinshan," operated by the Jinshan District Media Center of Shanghai, published August 27, 2026, original title "Air Rescue Ready! From Jinshan, 20 Minutes to Ruijin Main Campus") and China News Service Shanghai (August 28, 2026, by reporter Chen Jing, "Ruijin Hospital Jinshan Campus Opens as Quality Medical Resources Reach Southern Shanghai"), both accessed August 29, 2026. Official information from the hospital and competent authorities shall prevail. This article is shared for industry information purposes only and does not constitute medical advice; the feasibility and specific plan of any air medical transport shall be determined by professional medical assessment.