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Medical peace corps wins praise

A non-governmental medical team has earned praise and special thanks from a Tibetan Buddhist group after it provided seven days of free medical services in the northern Indian town of Bodhgaya in Bihar Province.

The team, consisting of 17 doctors, dentists and pharmacists as well as 30 nurses and volunteers, was organized by the Taiwan Root Medical Peace Corps (TRMPC), a private medical charity dedicated to providing international medical aid.

Led by TRMPC president Liu Chi-chun (劉啟群), the group arrived in New Delhi early on Wednesday to a warm welcome from Andrew Hsia (夏立言), Taiwan's representative to India. Hsia cooked a Taiwanese-style breakfast for the team members who had not had a hot meal since starting their tour.

Liu said in an interview that witnessing the needs of the poor in such a backward area had helped corps members realize how people can contribute to helping others, adding that the experience from the medical service tour was of great personal benefit.

Liu said that many residents in the Indian town were infected with pneumonia because of the unhygienic living environment.

A lack of money for treatment has even left patients suffering from multiple drug resistant pneumonia, he noted.

"This is not good," Liu said, adding that the WHO has warned that India could fall victim to a pneumonia epidemic within a decade if proper efforts are not made.

Liu also noticed that some cases of malaria during his stay in Bodhgaya, saying the situation is also a result of the unsanitary environment.

Most of the team members got colds or had diarrhea during their mission because of the different dining styles and sharp temperature differences between day and night in the region, Liu said.

Liu also said that without the TRMPC doctors, team members would have been unable even to care for themselves.

The corps has been offering free medical services in India annually since 2000. About 5,600 patients received treatments this year, Liu said.

Liu also said that India is a country that desperately needs charitable medical aid from any country that can provide it.

"The TRMPC will continue to offer medical services in other Indian towns next year," he said.
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