A team of Chinese doctors and
health care administrators from what will be the world's largest cardiovascular
hospital have been in residence the last two weeks with the Graduate Management
Institute to learn about the management and technology of western medicine.
The visitors, executives of the under-construction
Tianjin Economic Development Area's International
Cardiovascular Hospital,
have been attending lectures at Union and Albany
Medical College,
and visiting local hospitals and HMO's.
On a recent visit to Ellis
Hospital, for example, they paid
special attention to a hand-recognition time clock and a robotic pharmaceutical
dispenser. They also met at length with a number of physicians who were eager
to learn about the Chinese health care system.
Prof. Liu Xiaocheng, a cardiac
surgeon, is president of TEDA International
Cardiovascular Hospital.
The facility will provide teaching, research and rehabilitation. Plans call for
the treatment of 10,000 cases annually. The hospital will include 16 operating
rooms, six heart catheterization labs, and 600 beds.
In China,
about 13,000 people a day die as a result of heart disease. Another four
million are in need of cardiac surgeries. Treatment will be offered to patients
locally, nationally, and even internationally.
The hospital is under the
auspices of the Chinese government. However, in five years time it will make
the transition to a corporate model. Cardiac specialists and senior management
will be recruited from a worldwide pool, making it a truly international
cardiac facility.
TEDA is one of 14 areas in China
to be designated for economic development. Since 1985, nearly 3,500
international corporations, including Toyota,
Motorola, Nestle and Yamaha, have invested some $17 billion in the burgeoning
area.
Prof. Marty Strosberg has studied
and lectured in China,
and this visit represents something of an exchange. Prof. Valerie Manna is
coordinating the visit. The guests also have attended a variety of activities
ranging from hockey games to museum visits.