It was the lack of support or activities for hospitalized children that
inspired Claudia Vogg, a German woman who was working in China, to set up Magic
Hospital.
"All I could see was adults providing for them what adults think they need
food, clothes, medicine and school work. But I thought, 'They're children, so
why not try and bring in a bit of fun?'" she said by phone from her home in
Paris, where she is setting up a similar charity.
The doctors and nurses at the 750-bed Women and Children's Hospital, one of
the world's biggest hospitals for youngsters, agreed to the program in 2003
after just two meetings, Vogg said.
"I was so surprised, but the doctors all sat there nodding their heads when I
explained the concept of 'xiao ye shi yao' or 'laughter is also medicine,'" she
said. "I was also surprised because it was a 'laowai' (foreigner) proposing it."
Besides the Liu brothers, the Magic Hospital team includes teachers of art
and English. Except for the clowns, who earn $30 each for making two-hour
performances twice a week at the hospital, everyone else is a volunteer.
The money comes from private donations and fundraising events, though a few
corporations have donated. In the early days, Vogg paid the clowns out of her
own pocket.
Magic Hospital also takes clowns to orphanages, schools for the children of
migrant workers and homes for street children.
"It's about ensuring that children enjoy their right to be a child to have
fun and play," said Magda The, a Dutch woman who is one of the group's 13
volunteer workers.
In China, "doctors and nurses know how to administer medicine and treat a
patient on medical terms. But a bedside manner has never been a part of the
curriculum for medical training," said The, a former liaison officer for the
medical charity Doctors Without Borders and a mother of two.
"For the kids, just seeing these guys in costumes and with their painted
faces, it's different from the endless parade of white coats. They know they are
going to have some fun," said The. "It's also a bit of a respite for parents and
the nursing staff."
