'Little patients' getting big help

"Wherever in the world, what we share is the care for children, the concern for their well being and a vision for a holistic approach to modern pediatrics," says Morgan Stanley.

On Jan 13, Morgan Stanley committed to donate $5 million to Beijing Children's Hospital, the largest pediatric hospital in China, for its new hematology and oncology wing.

Morgan Stanley Chairman and CEO John J Mack said, "Morgan Stanley is aware that some of the organizations and people hardest hit by this financial and economic crises are charities and their beneficiaries. We believe it is particularly important to continue with our existing commitments and to even step up, where possible, to ensure that some of the neediest and most vulnerable members of society are cared for."

As a government institution, Beijing Children's Hospital was established in 1942 and now has 970 beds and over 1,600 staff. The time-honored hospital treats more than 2.36 million patients a year. Yet, some of its buildings and infrastructure still date from the 1950s and 60s and it is facing capacity constraints.

"The lobby of the pediatric hospital left a deep impression on me. It's crowded with little patients and their parents, and looks like a busy railway station," an executive director with Morgan Stanley Asia Ltd said after a short visit to the hospital.

The new oncology and hematology center, with a floor area of 57,000 sq m and 360 beds, is dedicated to treating 400,000 children with cancer or leukemia per year, and will add 17 percent to the current hospital capacity for these treatments.

The new center, which costs about 800 million yuan, is slated for completion in 2011. After completion, it will be the first dedicated institution for pediatric hematology and oncology treatment in China and the largest one in the world.

As part of a five-year cooperation project, Morgan Stanley's donation will also include state-of-the art diagnostic equipment for the new wing and training for the hospital's hematologists and oncologists with leading global specialists.

It is the hospital's first cooperation with a corporate entity, local or international. It is also Morgan Stanley's only such donation and cooperation with a pediatric hospital in Asia.

"What Morgan Stanley is doing is a great deed to provide a state-of-the-art facility that will benefit the little patients here," said Zhou Xuan, deputy director with the hospital's hematology department. "It will surely set a good example, as it takes more than one person or one company to make a change. Somebody's got to do it and take it a step further.

"I really love each of my patients," Zhou said emotionally, with tearful eyes. "Everyday I come to work with the hope that all the kids can get better and recover and I put every bit of that hope and faith into the work I do to alleviate their pain and to help the families get over the difficulties."

For more than 30 years, Morgan Stanley has invested in pediatric care innovation and has a strong track record in partnering with leading pediatric hospitals around the world.

Morgan Stanley is the first major corporate supporter of Grow Clinics in the US, which are specialty operations that target families with children suffering from medical complications associated with malnourishment, primarily due to poverty.

And more recently in London, Morgan Stanley partnered with Great Ormond Street Hospital, the UK's leading pediatric hospital, for a new clinical building. In New York, Morgan Stanley funded and helped build the Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, one of the leading pediatric hospitals in the US.

Mack, who is also the board chairman of Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, was interested in comparing the New York-based hospital with its counterpart in China during his visit at Beijing Children's Hospital and talked animatedly with doctors.

"The care that the physicians and nurses at Beijing Children's Hospital give to these children, how personal they make it and how much they reach out and feel the pain of these children, is very impressive and very emotional," said Mack.

With thick masks on pale faces, the children in the hematology ward couldn't talk freely with their foreign friends, so they drew pictures to show their gratitude and presented two paintings to Mack and China CEO Wei Sun Christianson.

"The scene is really heart-warming and I found a lady with the Morgan Stanley visiting team wiping tears silently at the ward doorway," said Li Zhongzhi, head of Beijing Children's Hospital.

"This cooperation with Morgan Stanley will mark the beginning of a long-term partnership for the benefit of children's health in China and an important step in the development of our hospital," Li said.

(China Daily 02/09/2009 page8)