The Kaohsiung branch of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (CGMH) on Friday said it will provide training to doctors from three of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies in the field of liver diseases and transplantation.
Guatemala, the Dominican Republic and Paraguay have accepted an invitation to send medical teams to the hospital in southern Taiwan, the hospital said in a statement.
CGMH Kaohsiung branch superintendent Chen Chao-long (陳肇隆) made the offer during his visit to Latin America earlier this month under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During Chen’s visit, the three allies identified liver-transplant training as a priority since they all lack that expertise, the hospital said. Chen, a pioneering surgeon who in 1984 performed the first successful liver transplant in Asia, was pleased to grant their request, the hospital said.
Chen also agreed to help upgrade the skills of Guatemalan doctors who had received training before at CGMH, and he promised to assist with the establishment of a national liver-transplant center in the Central American country, where liver disease is the fourth leading cause of death, the hospital said.
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