The nation’s healthcare acts as strong soft power that helps it expand and strengthen diplomatic relations, said Chu Kuang-en (朱光恩), a Taiwan-born doctor who was raised in Argentina.
Taiwanese healthcare is of an international standard, Chu said, adding that every year many outstanding Taiwanese doctors present first-hand research at international academic exchanges.
Chu said he was nine years old in 1978 when, after the US severed ties with the Republic of China, his family hopped on the domestic emigration trend of the time and moved to Argentina.
He lived in Argentina until he was 30 and is fluent in Spanish, Chu said, adding that Mandarin has become “not so easy” for him.
Recognizing his ability to speak Spanish, former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) appointed Chu to accompany him on his two trips to Central America during his presidency for assistance in case of an accident requiring a medical professional with Spanish language ability.
Chu said his only thought on these two trips was: “How is the president’s physical strength so good?”
Sometimes, even members of the medical team were physically exhausted, yet Chen was still able to fly day and night to attend events, he said.
Chu is now an attending physician at the Shin-Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital’s Division of Gastroenterology and the director of administrative management at the hospital’s Health Management Center.
In 2007, Shin-Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital and Belau National Hospital, the only national hospital in Palau, became sister hospitals and began a decade-long healthcare cooperation plan, according to the hospital’s Web site.
Palau is one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies.
Apart from being the attending hospital for patients who need to be transferred from Palau, Shin-Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital also stations medical teams at outposts in Palau twice a year and provides medical examinations according to the needs of the local healthcare system, the hospital added.
Chu has been on one of these trips.
Last year, when Taiwan gifted Palau with its first electronic endoscope, Chu, along with two other attending physicians and more than 10 healthcare professionals, visited Palau to assist with the training of Palau’s gastroenterology team, he said.
There was nothing there — even the disinfectant used to clean the endoscope was brought from Taiwan, Chu said.
Even though preparations were made before the team’s departure, many medical supplies were still unavailable when they arrived, he said, adding that the medical team developed a strong bond after completing the difficult task under such harsh conditions.
“I never knew that a little strength of my own could have such a huge influence,” Chu said, adding that the two short weeks he spent in Palau was only a small contribution on his part, but it earned him the wholehearted appreciation of the Palauan people.
Even Palauan residents, who seldom invite outsiders into their homes, broke with tradition and entertained the members of the medical team, he said.
“Being able to live in Taiwan is a blessing,” Chu said.
Chu said he hopes to visit Palau again and use his limited abilities to help Taiwan shine on the international stage.
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