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.
A tropical depression in waters east of the Philippines could develop into a tropical storm as soon as today and bring rainfall as it approaches, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, while issuing heat warnings for 14 cities and counties. Weather model simulations show that there are still considerable differences in the path that the tropical depression is projected to take. It might pass through the Bashi Channel to the South China Sea or turn northeast and move toward the sea south of Japan, CWA forecaster Yeh Chih-chun (葉致均) said, adding that the uncertainty of its movement is still high,
TAIWANESE INNOVATION: The ‘Seawool’ fabric generates about NT$200m a year, with the bulk of it sourced by clothing brands operating in Europe and the US Growing up on Taiwan’s west coast where mollusk farming is popular, Eddie Wang saw discarded oyster shells transformed from waste to function — a memory that inspired him to create a unique and environmentally friendly fabric called “Seawool.” Wang remembered that residents of his seaside hometown of Yunlin County used discarded oyster shells that littered the streets during the harvest as insulation for their homes. “They burned the shells and painted the residue on the walls. The houses then became warm in the winter and cool in the summer,” the 42-year-old said at his factory in Tainan. “So I was
THE TOUR: Pope Francis has gone on a 12-day visit to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore. He was also invited to Taiwan The government yesterday welcomed Pope Francis to the Asia-Pacific region and said it would continue extending an invitation for him to visit Taiwan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs made the remarks as Pope Francis began a 12-day tour of the Asia-Pacific on Monday. He is to travel about 33,000km by air to visit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore, and would arrive back in Rome on Friday next week. It would be the longest and most challenging trip of Francis’ 11-year papacy. The 87-year-old has had health issues over the past few years and now uses a wheelchair. The ministry said
Discounted 72-hour Taipei Metro passes are to be offered to China Airlines passengers until Feb. 28 next year, the airline announced today. China Airlines passengers may present their boarding pass for a discount of up to 34 percent when buying a Taipei Metro 72-hour unlimited travel pass. The offer is available to international travelers on international flights bound for Taipei. Within seven days of arrival, travelers can present their boarding pass, passport and proof of flight payment at an EZfly counter in Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport or Taoyuan MRT Taipei Main Station to obtain the discounted passes, the airline said. One 72-hour pass
RSS