British-German expands the city's access to private care

Sandra Fuld

Liao Zhenni

jenna.liao@mail.utoronto.ca

Having been an expat in five countries over 12 years, Sandra Fuld, who called herself a global Gypsy, takes a stop at Shekou, Shenzhen, to manage a clinic owned by Raffles Medical Group, a medical care company. "My home is where my suitcase is," she smiled, "and now my home is Shenzhen." It has been three years since the company, previously known as International SOS, sent her to the city.

After graduating in Germany, she started her medical career as a nurse in London, and then worked for International SOS in Indonesia. After a one-year stay in the Caribbean her family chose Hanoi, Vietnam, as the next stop. The trips have helped her develop an understanding of Asia’s medical landscapes over years.

She and her team are working to introduce the concept of a family doctor to the Chinese population. Impressed by the country’s advanced medical equipment, she also emphasizes the role close patient-doctor interactions play in making accurate diagnoses. Public hospitals seem to be the only option for most patients in China, but the Chinese Government is now encouraging community health centers and private clinics, according to Fuld.

Away from her homeland for 18 years, she met her French husband in Saudi Arabia and had kids in Indonesia. She said she totally enjoys being an open-minded foreigner in different cultures rather than limiting herself to being what a German lady is supposed to be.

When she landed in China the first time 10 years ago, Fuld went straight to Kunming in Yunnan Province. It was the philosophy of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) that attracted the Western-trained nurse to take a three-month field study in acupuncture after studying TCM for three years in London.

Her growing curiosity about Chinese culture brought her back. Today as the clinic manager, she said she won't hesitate to recruit a qualified English-speaking TCM doctor. A mother of two children, Fuld spends most of her spare time with her family. She proudly mentioned that her 9-year-old son was a keen player on Shenzhen United Football Club.

The family plans to stay in Shenzhen for a few more years, but never gives up on the Gypsy lifestyle.