Free clinics benefit the poor in the Philippines and change their impression of local Chinese.

—Dr. Siu Chuan Leh


When the name "TIMA Philippine chapter" is mentioned, everyone gives a thumbs-up and exclaims, "Wonderful!"

The Philippines is comprised of some seven thousand islands, but most people live on the three major islands of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Due to the extremely unequal distribution of wealth and an inefficient transportation system, many poor people living on remote islands have never visited a hospital in their life.

Therefore, in 1995 the Tzu Chi Philippine branch decided to establish a free clinic team to provide free medical services to the poor in remote mountain areas and in the countryside. The man who made all this possible was Siu Chuan Leh, executive deputy superintendent of the Chinese General Hospital in Manila.

Dr. Leh is an unforgettable person. With his tall, stocky body, huge beer belly and hearty laugh, he resembles the Happy Buddha (also known as the Maitreya Buddha), who is often portrayed with a protruding stomach and a beaming smile.

His ancestors originated from Fujian Province in China. He is a third-generation Chinese, born in the Philippines, and a devoted Catholic. He acquired his doctorate from the School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in 1966, and taught as assistant professor at the school. He was only thirty years old at the time.

Dr. Leh has been practicing medicine for more than thirty years. An expert in head and neck surgery, he is the chairperson and chief examiner of the Philippine Board of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery.

Buddhists and Catholics

The Chinese General Hospital in Manila is over a hundred years old. Originally established by local Chinese as a charitable institution, it is now run by the Filipino Chinese Charitable Association. At the time, Linda Chua was in charge of the Tzu Chi Philippine branch, and her husband was one of the board members of the hospital. This facilitated the cooperation between Tzu Chi and the Chinese General Hospital.

Five years ago, Chua visited Dr. Leh and told him about Tzu Chi. She also told him the reason for her visit: Tzu Chi was planning to provide long-term free medical services in the Philippines. She wanted to know if Dr. Leh would lend his expertise in organizing medical teams to help Tzu Chi set up their own medical team in assisting local poor people.

Dr. Leh is a straightforward and kind person, so he agreed to the idea at once. But he worried, "Can Buddhists and Catholics work together?"

Chua replied, "Tzu Chi doesn't differentiate between religions or national boundaries."

Upon hearing this, Dr. Leh started working on the preliminary preparations for their first free clinic and persuaded other doctors in the hospital to join the team. Medicine, equipment, and all the costs involved for the free clinic were taken care of by Tzu Chi.

You could have eaten off the floor

On April 7, 1995, Tzu Chi members in the Philippines went to remote areas near Baguio City to carry out their first free clinic. Dr. Leh, twenty-two medical personnel from the Chinese General Hospital and several Tzu Chi volunteers borrowed the offices of the Baguio Lions Club and performed surgery on 173 patients in just three days.

"Before the free clinic began, the doctors personally sanitized the office of the Baguio Lions Club," Dr. Leh recalled. "They didn't miss an inch, because it had to be so clean you could eat off the floor. The doctors were remarkable. After performing surgery for more than ten hours, they didn't rush off to rest. No matter how late it was, they rolled up their sleeves, resanitized the whole place and took turns looking after the patients in the recovery room."

More and more doctors have joined the team. Currently they have more than seventy doctors.

The first free clinic treated more than one hundred people. Now, each clinic helps an average of at least five thousand. One clinic treated over seven thousand people in five days. And each doctor spends more than twelve hours treating patients and performing surgery every day. How was the medical team organized that they could achieve all this?

"At first the team was made up solely of doctors from our hospital who participated voluntarily," noted Dr. Leh, "then we slowly promoted the mission to other hospitals and private clinics. Our team members were shocked to see that so many people who couldn't afford to visit a doctor were just waiting to die. When they saw the selfless devotion of the Tzu Chi volunteers, these doctors laid their social status to one side and overcame the obstacles of working in a difficult environment. Even I had to move tables and tighten screws!"

Changing the image of the Chinese

The hard work of the medical association impressed many Chinese merchants in the Philippines and prompted them to make donations to cover the cost of the free clinics. Local Chinese organizations had little contact with each other, but in order to make the free clinics successful different groups began working together. This was beyond all their expectations.

"Many Filipinos dislike the Chinese because they feel we are purse-proud," observed Dr. Leh. "But the free clinics have benefited the local poor and their impressions of the local Chinese are changing. What we consider to be our biggest achievement is that in some places where we have held free clinics, the local Chinese are forming new Tzu Chi liaison offices."

The TIMA Philippine chapter has become well-known, and many people have asked them to provide free clinics in their areas. They inspect these places and then determine which have the greatest need for a free clinic. "After joining TIMA, I finally realized that there were so many people suffering in the world," Dr. Leh remarked sadly.

The Buddha in our minds

Even though Dr. Leh led Tzu Chi volunteers in carrying out free clinics, he had never actually gone to any of the foundation's other activities. It was not until September 16, 1997, when Master Cheng Yen invited the members of the free clinics to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival at the Abode of Still Thoughts in Hualien, that he became more involved.

"In my imagination, I expected Tzu Chi to have grand temples permeated with the smell of incense and shining gold statues of bodhisattvas," Leh stated. "But when I went to the Abode, I could hardly believe my eyes--there were no large red candles, incense or fruit on the table before the Buddha, as there usually are in most Buddhist temples. There were only three statues of the Buddha, Kuan Yin and the Earth Treasury Bodhisattva made from a plain white material. Some nuns told me that the real Buddha is inside our minds. My perception of Buddhism changed completely at that point. Master Cheng Yen told us about the history of Tzu Chi, the establishment of the Tzu Chi hospitals, and other projects. Now I have a better understanding about the foundation. The Master is so frail, yet she has achieved so much. What about me? After that trip to the birthplace of Tzu Chi, I was more determined to view the free clinics as my responsibility."

Doctors and nurses at the Chinese General Hospital in Manila used to fear Dr. Leh, because he looked very stern when he was not smiling. In addition, he had a bad temper and often flew off the handle easily. He joked, "The biggest 'loss' for me after joining Tzu Chi is not being able to get angry and yell at people." He then remarked seriously, "Now I'm a Tzu Chi member, so I must behave like one."

Returning "home"

Dr. Leh returned to Taiwan to celebrate the grand opening of the Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital on August 13, 2000. When I asked him his thoughts on the hospital, he replied: "The people here are so fortunate! The hospital is well equipped and technologically advanced. It would be great if we had such a large hospital in the Philippines."

"Since I came back to the Abode of Still Thoughts for the Mid-Autumn Festival in 1997, I have returned to Taiwan for the festival every year," he said happily. "I enjoy coming back, because the Abode feels like home."

The TIMA conference finished on September 13, and Dr. Leh was officially certified as a Tzu Chi commissioner that same day. To him this meant he must now shoulder a heavier responsibility. "One day there will be a Tzu Chi hospital in the Philippines--I will make it happen," Dr. Leh vowed.