International doctors working in Shanghai gather for a meeting held at the Shanghai United Family Hospital on Feb 22, 2022. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

International doctors working in Shanghai applauded the city's soft power during a meeting held at the Shanghai United Family Hospital on Feb 22.

Ten out of the 13 foreign doctors from eight countries who attended the meeting have been living and working in Shanghai for more than a decade.

Han Jie, executive director of the hospital, regards soft power as the personality of a city, and said that "openness, innovation and inclusiveness" have become the most distinct characteristics of Shanghai. These three traits, she noted, can be seen in the achievements the city has made in the medical and healthcare field.

"China is my second home. During my 15 years in Shanghai, I have been amazed by remarkable changes such as the advent of electronic payments which have brought my family convenience despite the COVID-19 pandemic," said Michale Long, a family physician from the Philippines.

American doctor Bob Kohlbacher, who moved to Shanghai with his wife and two children in 1999, said he has witnessed the rapid development of the medical health care system in the city.

"In the past, some foreigners would go back to their own countries to get treatment, but things are different now," he said. "Shanghai has done an amazing job in public facilities, and it is a good place to work and raise a family as well."

Support from the government has also played an important role in establishment of foreign medical institutions, according to Marie Mathilde Costa, a French dentist who was one of the earliest to establish a foreign dental clinic in Shanghai.

Jiang Ziyi contributed to the story