Dr. Sagie establishes the first Bedwetting Clinic in China
Shanghai Children’s Medical Center (SCMC) maintains professional relationships with leading medical centers in the U.S., England and Israel. Specialists and experts visit SCMC to train and teach local professional staff.
Seventeen million people live in the Shanghai area. SCMC provides medical services to children in this area.
During his visit to Schneider Children’s Medical Center”, Dr. Shen, the SCMC Director, met Dr. Sagie in his hospital clinic. He became acquainted with Dr. Sagie’s unique treatment model for enuresis and showed great interest.
Upon Dr. Shen’s request, Dr. Sagie was sent to China by Project Hope to build infrastructure and train local doctors for operating an enuresis clinic in SCMC.
Dr. Sagie stayed in Shanghai for two weeks and trained five pediatricians of the Child Development Department headed by Prof. Xingming Jin.
The program application was complex. Awareness of Western child psychology was limited and the training included many basic concepts in order to understand our treatment model.
Beyond this, there are substantial differences in approach and culture. In China, diapers are hardly used. The child’s pants have a large hole for urination. Most mothers work, and children are raised by their grandmothers. The birth control law, which forbids married couples to give birth to more than one child, creates a special attitude toward the child, and parents invest great resources in their child’s upbringing. This law is enforced decisively with severe penalties.
During his visit, Dr. Sagie treated Chinese enuretic children who appeared very disciplined. The parents found it difficult to accept that enuresis relates to deep sleep and is not a medical problem. They insisted upon conducting comprehensive medical tests to rule out an organic factor.
Although traditional medicine still exists in China, there is great openness for Western medicine. Chinese pediatricians were highly motivated to learn despite many difficulties.
In addition to the training program, Dr. Sagie conducted a seminar about enuresis for 140 pediatricians from the Shanghai area. The seminar drew high interest and was covered widely by the media.
Following his first visit to SCMC, Dr. Sagie was invited again one year later together with his associate and son, Tal Sagie, an enuresis specialist, in order to conduct intensive and advanced two-week training to initiate the bedwetting clinic’s operation in SCMC.
The enuresis clinic in China was established by Dr. Sagie. It is now operated by the Chinese staff that was trained by Dr. Sagie and Tal Sagie.
