On my first trip to Asia, this must have been in the early 1980s, I had the great privilege of meeting Lord Lawrence Kadoorie, then chairman of the China Light and Power Company and other businesses. We asked him what he thought of future developments in China, and he answered in one short sentence: “Trust the Chinese, they will again be a great country”.
Roughly a decade later, now serving on the board of a medical assistance company, I found myself back in China - but in a very different role. Together with the chairman we were looking for hospitals that could meet international standards.
We had already set up a day-clinic with very good, English-speaking Chinese staff and two expatriate physicians. Medical supply came from Hong Kong.
We had the full support of the Ministry of Health, with some hiccups when regulations had not yet been issued for the kind of business we were developing. But all problems were solved at big round tables with delicious food. Despite the difficulties, we had a great time and admired the efforts made by the Government to modernize the country.
So, we paid a visit to some hospitals and were given a choice between Chinese and Western medical treatments. One hospital had just opened a new aisle that was devoted to foreign people, expatriates and tourists. Compared to other installations, this was luxury!
We quietly listened to the presentations made in English by the management and physicians, then had a tour of the premises. We asked a nurse to describe how they prepare the room when a patient has been discharged. She explained the process in great detail.
The only thing I remember so many years later is that she said: “When the patient is gone and the room clean, we turn over the sheets”.
An now they change sheets twice a day!
