There is Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan.
That hospital was the first hospital in Pakistan where I went to sell CT.
When I was still the chief, I seriously thought about how to sell CT to developing countries.
And the first country I entered was Pakistan.
I entered Pakistan with CT expert Mr. Akadou.
I remember it was probably 1983.
Mr. Akadou was the chief of the CT department and had the power as a young person in the business department.
At that time, it was forbidden to sell CT to developing countries, but I teamed up with Mr. Akadou to break the situation.
First, we entered Karachi via Dubai in the UAE.
Karachi was a very hot, dry and dusty town.
The Taj Mahal Hotel we stayed in was a very old building. Apparently it was built during the British occupation.
We entered each room and took a shower. After that, I got a call that Mr. Akadou ordered beer, so I went to Mr. Akadou’s room.
But as we waited, the beer didn’t arrive.
And there was a knock on the door of the room when we thought the beer order was forgotten.
When I opened the door, a strange postman stood there.
When I asked the man what he was doing, he took two bottles of beer out of his shoulder bag and gave them to me.
So I could understand the situation for the first time.
Since this is an Islamic world, alcohol can only be ordered by foreigners at the hotel.
However, the two beers weren’t cold at all, so we couldn’t drink them because they tasted bad.
The next morning, when I went to the hotel coffee shop, there were only bearded male waiters.
I ordered a fried egg and toast, but it was so unpleasant that I had never eaten such a fried egg. The reason was the color of the fried egg. The color of the yolk of the egg was gray, and it was not thick.
I was very horrified when I thought I had to eat this kind of meal for a while.
So I searched for another hotel during the day. Then there was a Holiday Inn not far from our hotel. Moreover, female waitress were properly servicing there. The food was decent. So I discovered that the world of foreigners and the world of Arabia exist separately here. Naturally, the price was high in the world of foreigners. By the way, the breakfast at the hotel was completely different from the toast I ate yesterday and the fried egg.
The next day, I went to Aga Khan University Hospital with President Omar and Mr. Akadou.
Aga Khan University Hospital was under construction and was about 80% complete.
Immediately we met the hospital director. The requirements were already communicated, so the story went smoothly.
“Thank you for coming all the way, but unfortunately we can’t buy a Toshiba CT because we bought a Siemens CT two years ago,” said the hospital director.
I knew that from the beginning.
So, when we were chatting with the hospital director, he asked, by the way, the characteristics and price of Toshiba CT.
Mr. Akadou briefly explained the characteristics of Toshiba’s CT.
And I explained the price as follows. “The price of CT for Aga Khan Hospital should be decided by the hospital director.”
The hospital director seemed surprised at this story.
And he jokingly asked me, “Is it okay for US $ 100,000?”
So, “Of course, okay,” I replied.
Listening to this negotiation, President Omar, who was present there, was the most surprised.
He looked incredible.
At that time, I set another condition.
“I want to have a Toshiba party when the hospital holds the CT opening ceremony. Of course, Toshiba will bear the cost. And I want you to invite Prime Minister Butt to that party.”
“We want to emphasize that Aga Khan University Hospital is a symbolic hospital of Toshiba CT.”
Then the hospital director was completely interested in the story.
So we both stood up and shook hands.
With this, the business negotiation was concluded.
After that, President Omar negotiated with the hospital director and the price was US $ 300,000.
In other words, President Omar decided by considering his profit and the return to the hospital director.
I then shared this information with Mr. Inomata of Nissho Iwai and asked him to inform the Japanese Embassy in Pakistan that Prime Minister Butt would attend the Toshiba party.
Shortly after we returned to Japan, it became a hot topic within the company that we received an order for CT in Pakistan.
But at the same time, there were harsh complaints that the price was less than half the regular price.
That made me and Mr. Akadou blame. We endured the criticism.
However, after that, the situation was reversed when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the president of Toshiba.
The senior manager of the International Department called me and said:
“I just got a call from the president’s office. Is it true that Sato will have a Toshiba party in Pakistan? Anyway, is it true that Prime Minister Butt will attend there? Let’s go to the president immediately to explain.”
In the president’s office, I explained to the secretary’s office manager. At this time, I changed the scenario of the story a little. In other words, all the ideas I talked to the hospital director were the hospital director’s ideas.
The hospital director suggested:
“We will buy Toshiba equipment, so Toshiba will pay for the opening party. We will call my friend Prime Minister Butt to the party.”
Upon hearing this explanation I gave, the secretary general said, “Mr. Sato, well done.”
This story changed our reputation within the company.
And that time has come.
Prime Minister Butt and the priest of the Aga Khan sect appeared in front of me at the hotel, the party venue.
Prime Minister Butt was dressed in white and was slender and elegant.
I was just staring at her.
It was later discovered that this party seemed to be very good for Toshiba’s overall business, especially for thermal and hydropower negotiations in Pakistan.
I realized once again that medical equipment is just a novelty item for Toshiba’s big business.