Medical service: detailed plans for saving lives 

Shanghai health authorities have made a thorough plan for medical service for expo visitors and staff. Each of the five sections of the expo site has a medical station. Each is equipped with one medical patrol vehicle, ambulances, first-aid facilities and medicine for common diseases.

Eight hospitals near the expo site have been designated as medical service providers with 33 clinics also supporting.

Experienced doctors and nurses have been selected to work at the expo site and several exercises were held before the trial rounds to have the medical staff prepared for emergencies.

Punan Hospital, which is no more than 15 minutes walk from the expo site, is a "zero-distance" hospital for the World Expo. The hospital has made preparations for the expo even though it is not a designated hospital for the event.

Liu Weidong, president of Punan Hospital, said heatstroke and cardiac arrest easily occur during summer, especially affecting the old and the weak. A single person is easy to deal with, he said. The big challenge is dealing with large-scale emergencies like stampedes, food poisoning and terrorist attacks.

He said the hospital has prepared 30 empty beds for the expo. The hospital has also trained more than 3,000 expo security staff and residents in nearby communities in first-aid.

"A patient won't collapse near a doctor. Therefore, the more people who know about first-aid the bigger the chance patients will survive," Liu said.

He also advised expo visitors to plan their trip inside the site after considering their physical condition. He also recommended visitors take rests and drink water, especially during hot weather.

Organizers have increased the number of wheelchairs, benches and sunshades at the site for tired expo visitors.

Food: strict checks to ensure safety

All the food suppliers for the expo were chosen after public bidding, strict evaluation and intensive food safety training, according to the Shanghai Food and Drug Administration.

Three quick testing laboratories have been established inside the expo site to test food samples.

Now, with only three days left for the expo, safety checks for vegetables at the site have also been enhanced.

"Besides safety examination by vegetable producers, we have begun another round of safety checks to ensure vegetables at the world expo park are safe and fresh," said Chen Jun, director of the quality management office at Shanghai Jiangqiao vegetable wholesale market, the sole vegetable supplier for the world expo park restaurants.

It's estimated expo visitors and staff will consume at least 200 tonnes of vegetables every day.

The market has signed contracts with 40 vegetable farms across China, said Chen.

"The vegetables are organic and pollution-free. Cauliflower, tomato, pepper, cabbage, potato and green leaf vegetables were in demand during the trial operations and we have increased orders for them by 20 percent," he said.