Brigham Health Builds Hospital That Chinese Elite Never Patronized

On that spring weekend in 2018, the president of Brigham Health and about a dozen of Boston’s top doctors and nurses flew to Hainan, a tropical island at the southernmost tip of China, rimmed by sandy beaches and studded with lush resorts, Boston Globe reported.

Photo Insert: Brigham Health and Brigham and Women's/Mass General Health Care Centers in Massachusetts

This was no vacation, though. The delegation was there on a mission — to celebrate the opening of a gleaming new hospital stamped with the Brigham and Women’s brand bankrolled by the real property giant Evergrande.

So many of the best hospitals in the United States, including Massachusetts General, had created lucrative collaborations abroad, designed to reach wealthy patients who would pay out of pocket for top-notch health care.

Located in Hainan, the hospital was one of the ill-fated projects of Evergrande, which is now swimming in red ink, that cater to the Chinese nouveau riche.

The only trouble is that the hospital became a white elephant, particularly after the company failed to pay bondholders on schedule despite an extension.

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