Four hundred people injured in the Sichuan earthquake disaster are expected to arrive in Shanghai tomorrow.
Officials said all city-level hospitals had made painstaking preparations to receive the patients.
A second group of about 2,000 patients is expected to arrive early next week.
The Shanghai Health Bureau said most patients had suffered severe injuries but were in a stable condition.
Yu Fei, an official at Shanghai No.10 People's Hospital, said yesterday his hospital would receive 30 patients from the first group and 500 from the second.
"We received the order yesterday at noon and started preparations immediately," he said. "The first 30 patients will stay in our VIP unit and the second group will live in a newly built building which has 600 beds."
Changhai Hospital officials said they expected about 100 patients. The hospital will put all Sichuan patients in the same large unit to foster mutual communication and achieve a unified psychological direction.
Officials from Shanghai Blood Administration said they were on high alert to provide blood supplies when Sichuan patients arrived.
"The present daily storage is 2,000 liters, enough to meet local clinical practice," said Song Qi, a blood administration official. "We will call for blood donations when there is extra blood demand from these Sichuan patients.
As city hospitals prepare for an influx of Sichuan patients, medical rescue teams in quake-hit regions are still working around the clock.
Dr Chen Erzhen from Ruijin Hospital successfully saved Wang Youqun, a woman rescued from after being buried in debris for 196 hours. The intensive care unit expert said the patient finally started to sleep well yesterday afternoon after receiving psychological assistance.
A rescue team from Changzheng Hospital said three babies were delivered at its tent clinics.
"The second baby, which was born through a caesarean on Wednesday, is in critical condition since it suffered severe suffocation in the womb," said Wang Genhua, a hospital official.
"The delivery process for the latest boy born on Thursday was also very tough. Since there is no incubator at the frontline, our medical staff just held him to warm the baby until it reached proper body temperature."
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