Cross-cultural communication （89）　

89) The “American Hospital of Paris” loved by the world
From 1995 to 97, I was the first Japanese doctor to work at the American Hospital of Paris (AHP), which at the time had a history of over 90 years. I had heard rumors that various celebrity patients had been admitted to the hospital over the years. After a few months of working there, I began to talk with my fellow doctors and hospital staff, and gradually became interested in the details of the hospital's history of glamorous celebrity patients. During the two and a half years I was there, in 1997, the American Ambassador to France, Pamela Harriman (born in the UK, became a US citizen in 1971, ex-wife of the son of former Prime Minister Churchill) had a stroke while swimming in the pool at the Ritz and was admitted to hospital in an emergency. My colleague, who was a dual US-European national, was appointed as her doctor. The ambassador spent several days in a vegetative state on a respirator, but when his family arrived and a political settlement was reached, the respirator was removed and she was pronounced dead. During this time, the US and French flags that hang in the main building of AHP were lowered to half-mast.

Now, let me introduce some of the celebrity patients who have been admitted to AHP over the past 40 or 50 years, based on the information I have. Do you know the Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis? He had a love affair with the world-famous opera singer Maria Callas, but he abandoned her and married Jacqueline Kennedy. However, he later fell ill and, when he was admitted to AHP in 1975, he was already suffering from terminal cancer. And it was Maria Callas, not Jacqueline, who looked after him at the end of his life in hospital. Rock Hudson, a handsome actor known in Hollywood, began to feel unwell in the mid-1980s and was admitted to AHP for tests, which diagnosed him with AIDS. In the mid-1980s, there was no effective treatment for AIDS, and he was apparently discharged from the hospital due to prejudice against the disease. However, he was eventually taken care of at AHP. The mother of Osama bin Laden, who was both a sponsor and commander of Al-Qaeda, was admitted to AHP at a time when Al-Qaeda was plotting terrorist attacks around the world. At the time, Paris was one of the cities targeted by Al-Qaeda, but those involved were confident that it would be safe here. It was also at AHP that Yasser Arafat, who had long served as the chairman of the PLO, married Suha, who was in her 20s, in his 60s. A senior member of the Japanese gigantic Mafia organization Y-gumi visited Paris by air to receive treatment for an illness. However, the Japanese police had been informed of his visit, and he was deported back to Japan. This incident was reported in the newspapers, but of course he was not allowed to enter Paris from the airport, so it was not mentioned which hospital he was planning to visit. However, according to information I obtained from AHP staff, he was indeed planning to visit AHP. Why is AHP so popular with Western celebrities (and Japanese gangster)?

The first reason is that it is a bilingual French-American hospital located in a quiet residential area on the outskirts of Paris. Incidentally, since I was assigned there in 1995, there have also been Japanese doctors (the fifth generation as of 2025). Therefore, while it is in Paris, which is easily accessible from anywhere in the world, it is inconspicuous and maintains privacy, and for Westerners (and Japanese too), there is no language barrier.

Secondly, the excellent amenities at AHP are also a big draw. First of all, almost all of the hospital rooms are private. In terms of the food, you can choose from a variety of menus, and the food is on a par with that served at top-class restaurants. As for the cost of hospitalization, it is quite expensive. However, for celebrities, this is actually a positive point, as they do not have to wait for a reservation like they would at a hospital covered by general insurance. The third reason, which is quite a personal opinion, is that it is a private hospital with a long history, and as I will explain later, it has a board of directors with connections in the French political and business world, so there are many people who want to be admitted for mainly political reasons. For example, if the US ambassador to France, Bin Laden's mother, or Arafat's wife were to be admitted, there is a high possibility that a major political problem would arise depending on the outcome of their admission. I suspect that they choose this hospital because AHP has the means to take some kind of action in such cases.

Next, some information about the AHP board of directors. I mentioned that AHP is a private hospital. It is certainly private in the sense that it is not a public hospital, but it is not a profit-making organization. This hospital is a non-profit organization. Therefore, although they can charge whatever they like for room and examination fees, they rely on donations for all other expenses, such as the purchase of examination equipment, the construction of new wards, and renovations. In addition, all of the hospital's doctors are independent practitioners, and it is up to each doctor to set their own consultation fees. For this reason, donation campaigns for companies are a major undertaking for AHP. The board of directors is in charge of this. When I was there, there were about 10 directors, and I would like to introduce two of them who I had a personal relationship with.

Madame G was the wife of a member of the family that founded a global cosmetics company known for its famous perfume in Japan. She was in her 70s at the time, but she was a typical Parisian celebrity with a straight back and a sharp, crisp appearance. One day, a mother and daughter who ran a fashion-related store in Tokyo visited AHP to pay their respects to Madame G. As they were Japanese guests, Madame G asked me to join them for lunch at the hospital restaurant. Madame G was extremely friendly with the Japanese mother and daughter, who were meeting her for the first time, and there was no break in the conversation in English during lunch. I still remember the advice Madame G gave the mother and daughter during dessert. “Even when you think your business is going well, you should never leave the bookkeeping to someone else. Dr. Kido will probably take over the clinic when he returns to Japan. Even doctors shouldn't leave the bookkeeping to someone else.” I received these unexpected words from a member of a family that runs a global company. These words were simple, but they were all the more meaningful for that.

Mr. M, who is in his 70s, is the former North American CEO of IT company, which is known by everyone around the world. He was a legend in the IT industry, who rose from being a lowly salesman to becoming the head of North America. I was the first Japanese, or even Asian, person to be appointed as a doctor at AHP, and he took an interest in me and would say hello to me whenever we met in the hospital corridors. I also had dinner with him a few times. On those occasions, he would explain things in a way that was easy to understand, such as tips for living in France and how to choose the best hotels when traveling in Europe.

Like the two people I introduced, all of the board members have impressive CVs, but they are also friendly and, to put it a little crudely, “masters of people-pleasing”. These board members are putting their lives on the line for the continuation of AHP, without any compensation.
For this reason, I believe that we can say “AHP is eternal!” for the next 100 years too.

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