These medical professionals leave their comfortable clinics and tirelessly enter remote areas, and even disaster-stricken nations, just to heal the sick and injured. "Just a few hours of my time can end illnesses that have tormented patients for decades and even change their lives. What could be more meaningful?"

In 1996, the Tzu Chi International Medical Association (TIMA) was formed under the Tzu Chi Foundation by a group of healthcare professionals. Since then, many medical professionals have volunteered to contribute their expertise and time. The group provides the highest possible quality care to needy people around the world.

TIMA has two thousand members in seventeen branch offices around the world. It has held over one hundred free clinics and served 275,000 patients to date.

Taiwan

TIMA Taiwan has seven free clinic teams that tour remote regions with meager medical resources. In such areas, a small illness is often left to deteriorate. There was a young man, for example, whose foot was burned in an accident. His frail father, who could not accompany him to a far-off hospital, soothed the burn with herbs. A few days later, the wound became infected and swollen. "If TIMA had not come in time, the wound could have developed tetanus or a blood infection," remarked Dr. Hung Hung-tien, coordinator of the southern district. "We taught him how to apply medicine, and we followed up on his condition until he fully recovered."

Homeless people often face high risks of catching contagious diseases. Marginalized by society, they often do not have access to hospital treatment. Seeing their need, the TIMA northern district provides the homeless with long-term medical care and refers patients' medical profiles to the government social department, which arranges treatments for the homeless.

TIMA is well equipped to serve patients. For example, in eastern Taiwan free clinic volunteers carry a PACS (picture archiving and communication system), an X-ray machine and an ultrasonic scanner. If the need arises, TIMA can link with Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital to conduct distance diagnosis through PACS, which is also known as "telemedicine." In northern Taiwan, TIMA volunteers drive a mobile dental unit to remote regions to provide service.

Besides providing regular free medical treatments, TIMA also responds to natural disasters by immediately mobilizing members to hold free clinics in affected areas.

The Americas

Among all TIMA chapters on the North American continent, Southern California is the largest in scale. There is a permanent free clinic center in Los Angeles with four hundred volunteers working as doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and logistics personnel. In 2001 alone, it held thirty-three neighborhood free clinics. It was invited to join Emergency Network Los Angeles. This year, the free clinic center is also expanding service to Indian reservations.

As for other chapters in the United States, TIMA Northern California holds free clinics at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, TIMA New York works with local hospitals and provides a mobile free clinic every week, and the Hawaii free clinic provides services to all needy people.

Tzu Chi medical volunteers in the Dominican Republic have invited forty military surgeons and nurses to give internal medicine and dental treatments to impoverished schoolchildren.

In the past six years, volunteers of TIMA Brazil have held monthly clinics in Sao Paulo and surrounding areas. Their continuous service has won recognition from the local community and numerous opportunities to work with local medical organizations. Doctors from countries such as Vietnam, Iran and Ecuador have joined TIMA free clinics in many disaster-stricken countries.

Southeast Asia

In the Philippines, half of the population lives under the poverty line. Since 1995, TIMA Philippines has conducted five free clinics in remote areas such as Banguio and Zamboanga each year. As the number of volunteers expands, larger free clinics have been held more and more frequently. The mobile free clinic unit is virtually a fully equipped hospital with doctors from all departments. TIMA plans to set up a permanent free clinic center in two to three years.

Compared to the Philippines, Indonesia is even more lacking in medical resources. The nation, comprised of over ten thousand islands, has a low standard of living. Many people in deep mountains have never seen a doctor in their lives. Tzu Chi volunteers have joined forces with local public health bureaus and military medical personnel to hold free clinics in outlying regions around Jakarta. Liu Su-mei, head of the Tzu Chi Indonesia branch, said that some of their more than a hundred medical volunteers are superintendents of military hospitals or are even military generals. With their current manpower and facilities, TIMA Indonesia can only hold free clinics around Java. In order to hold free clinics on other islands, support from TIMA Singapore and Malaysia is needed.

TIMA Singapore has held free clinics on Batam Island in conjunction with TIMA Indonesia. It also plans to provide continuing medical care to residents of Tanjunpinang Island, Indonesia.

In Malaysia, the aborigines of Sabah often lack the financial means to obtain medical treatment. So TIMA Malaysia provides medical treatment in dentistry, pediatrics and ENT to aborigines.

His Wish for His Forty-sixth Birthday

Dr. Mohamad Budiyono, Indonesia

Mohamad Rofieq Budiyono, superintendent of Serang Army Hospital, Indonesia, spent a special birthday in Taiwan, and he made a wish to...

"Happy birthday to you!" On December 29, 2001, Dr. Mohamad Budiyono took the train with other TIMA members to attend the annual TIMA conference in Hualien. But little did he expect to receive birthday blessings from conference attendees from around the world. "What a wonderful surprise. I will never forget today!" Touched by the altruistic spirit and selfless devotion of Tzu Chi volunteers, he made a birthday wish to follow in their footsteps in spreading love to the world.

Although he is a hospital superintendent and a lieutenant colonel, he is very easygoing. He even danced on the stage with other members from Indonesia to entertain the other attendees at the conference.

Dr. Budiyono first came to know about Tzu Chi in 1998. Because of frequent riots in Indonesia, Tzu Chi volunteers always sought protection and assistance from the Indonesian military whenever the foundation was providing free clinics to local communities. In 1998, Tzu Chi held its second free clinic at Serang Army Hospital. Dr. Budiyono, a Muslim, happily provided space, medical equipment, and his own services for the clinic.

Dr. Budiyono's original passion to help the sick had faded through years of medical practice. Work had become a mere routine for him. But after he joined TIMA, his skill helped many despairing patients to find new hope in life, and his original ambition was rekindled.

Two years ago in a free clinic held in Tangerang County, he treated Suyatna, a male patient in his twenties, who was afflicted with two goiter tumors as large as softballs. Two years later, when Dr. Budiyono went to Tangerang County again, Suyatna came to see him. "Thank you for taking out those tumors that had been with me since my childhood. Now I am healthy, and I want to volunteer here with my friends."

Witnessing patients recovering and vowing to help others brought Dr. Budiyono great joy. He prayed that the seeds of goodness could sprout and grow in Indonesia.

"Dancing" with Patients

Dr. Tan Chian Hua, the Philippines

Every time Dr. Tan has to work late into the night, the smile of the old lady comes to his mind and makes him forget his fatigue from a long day's work.

Born in a Buddhist family but educated in missionary schools from primary school to college, Dr. Tan Chian Hua often says with a smile, "I have only a smattering of knowledge about Buddhism, but I can talk about the Bible for hours!"

As early as 1995, Tan's brother-in-law, a Tzu Chi volunteer, invited him to help out at a Tzu Chi free clinic. He politely declined at that time due to his heavy workload. But with his brother-in-law's persistent encouragement, Dr. Tan eventually participated in a free clinic held in Tailac on Luzon Island in 1997.

"At that free clinic, I realized that Tzu Chi really wants to help poor patients." He pointed out that although Tzu Chi is not the only organization that holds free clinics in the Philippines, many of the others only offer internal medicine treatments or health checkup services, and they normally just give a bit of medicine to the patients. "Tzu Chi volunteers respect every doctor's professional knowledge, and the amount of medicine they give is exactly what the doctors prescribe. This practice of 'sincerity, integrity, trust and honesty' really moved me."

Dr. Tan was even more astonished at the second free clinic he participated in. It was held in Zamboanga, Mindanao Island. "Zamboanga is the messiest and poorest place in the Philippines, where many local aboriginal people have never seen a doctor in their lives. I could feel the pain of the patients who had nowhere to go when they were sick."

Because many different clans live in Zamboanga and each clan has its own language, translators are needed in a free clinic. There are times, however, when translation fails to convey what the patients want to say, and they have to try all sorts of gestures and facial expressions to describe their conditions. "I never thought that I would need to 'dance' and play guessing games with my patients," Tan laughed.

The free clinic held in Zamboanga lasted for three days and treated nearly five thousand patients. That was an average of about one hundred and fifty patients per doctor per day. Even though they were too busy to even drink water, the hard work paid off when the doctors saw the smiles on the patients' faces.

"There was an old lady who was about seventy years old. Even the interpreter could not understand what she wanted to say. When I finally finished examining her, she kept on bowing to me and mumbling something no one could understand. But I knew that she was expressing her thanks to me." Her smile stayed in Tan's mind. The image rises before his eyes every time he has to work late into the night. The joyful smile always helps Tan to forget his fatigue from a long day's work.

"I cried because I had no shoes, until I saw a man who had no feet." This sentence perfectly describes Tan's spiritual progress since he joined the free clinic services. His 2002 New Year wish is that he can spread seeds of love to every corner of the Philippines.

Boundless Love

Dr. Lee Rong-Chien, Brazil

Moving around even with the help of crutches is difficult enough for Dr. Lee, not to mention visiting remote areas where transportation is inconvenient, but he still insists on joining the monthly free clinics...

When Dr. Lee walked up the stage, step by step, everyone was so quiet that the sound of his steel crutches tapping the floor seemed several times louder...

Two and a half years ago, Dr. Lee was invited by a group of volunteers, whom he met at a wedding banquet in Brazil, to participate in the Tzu Chi free clinics. In August 1999, he started to accompany Tzu Chi volunteers to free clinics held in the poor outskirts of Sao Paulo. Since then, he has almost never been absent from the monthly free clinics.

The devotion of the Tzu Chi volunteers at the free clinics is what touches Dr. Lee the most. When a road is impassable, they often have to carry all the equipment, including two dental chairs that weigh more than two hundred kilograms, to the free clinic site. If the weather is bad, volunteers even have to move the equipment in the rain.

Out of respect and admiration for these hard-working volunteers, Dr. Lee willingly spends his only day off every week treating poor patients in remote areas. When the chance arises, he also brings his daughter along to help out.

Statistics show that eighty percent of doctors in Brazil live in large cities. Not many doctors are willing to practice in remote areas. For example, the town of Francisco Morato, about seventy kilometers [43 miles] from Sao Paulo, is one of the places where Tzu Chi holds its clinics. Other medical personnel refuse to go to this town, which is noted for its violence. Except for doing odd jobs in the big city, residents can only make their living by collecting garbage or begging.

"The regions that Tzu Chi chooses to hold free clinics are often places that even local doctors will not or dare not visit, because those places are the nests of drugs, poverty and violence." In the past six years, Tzu Chi people have held more than ten free clinics in Francisco Morato.

At present, Tzu Chi people in Brazil are preparing to build a permanent medical center. Dr. Lee expressed his willingness to serve at the medical center and to assist in promoting the Tzu Chi medical mission in Brazil.

Examining Patients in the Dust

Dr. Chou Kuei-hung, Dominican Republic

When participating in free clinics held in countries other than their own, TIMA members often have to endure abominable environments, language barriers, tension, fatigue and sleep disorders. But despite all these, Dr. Chou Kuei-hung's heart is always full of joy whenever he joins a free clinic.

"TIMA is a special organization," said Dr. Chou Kuei-hung. "Its members are usually busy with their own work when the organization has no need for their services. But once a situation arises, they display a great ability to mobilize, like an efficient, well-organized reserve force." Dr. Chou said that when a disaster occurs, they always stop whatever they are doing and rush to where they are needed with their medical equipment and medicine. Such actions conform to the declaration they made when they first became doctors: "I solemnly pledge to consecrate my life to the service of humanity..."

Since 1996, 34-year-old Dr. Chou has been working at the Armed Forces Hospital in Santo Domingo. Currently he is the special assistant to General Alan Checo, who heads the Dominican Republic's military medical service. Dr. Chou has been actively involved in TIMA activities. Since the opening of the Tzu Chi Dominican office, he has been responsible for planning and organizing free clinics. He plays an important role in building a bridge of love between Tzu Chi and the Dominican people.

In October 1998, Honduras was ravaged by a hurricane and countless people became homeless. When Dr. Chou was informed of this by the Tzu Chi US head office, he immediately contacted pharmaceutical factories to purchase necessary medicine. Then, with simple luggage, he and other volunteers rushed to the disaster areas. That was the first time Tzu Chi members in the Dominican Republic took part in an international relief effort.

"It was a precious experience for me," said Dr. Chou. "We had to wake up at four every morning because it took three to four hours to reach the disaster sites." The disaster areas were a mess. Faced with water shortages, power outages and unsanitary environments, the hurricane victims were mostly malnourished and infected with parasites. Within four days, Tzu Chi medical team members examined about six hundred patients, but there were still a lot more waiting to be examined. Because of poor public order, the volunteers were afraid of being robbed, and no one dared to take out their camera and take pictures. "Not a single photograph was taken during the four-day free clinic, but I gained many valuable experiences which greatly helped me in planning future free clinics in the Dominican Republic."

"Helping the needy is the happiest thing in the world," Dr. Chou remarked. Even though his life has become much busier since he joined TIMA, Dr. Chou believes that he should do as many good things as possible while he is still young. "Because we may not have the strength to do so when we are older!"

September 11

Dr. Lin Huei-Ju, USA

After the September 11 terrorist attacks, Dr. Lin Huei-Ju was allowed to go to Ground Zero because of her hospital volunteer ID card.

As Tzu Chi volunteers were about to leave the rest home that they regularly visited, a paralyzed old man grabbed Dr. Lin's hand, and tears gathered at the corners of his eyes... Since joining Tzu Chi, Dr. Lin has been able to see a world which she was never aware of before--the world of the elderly and the ill.

In 1995, when Tzu Chi set up its office in New Jersey, Dr. Lin enrolled as a volunteer. As a dentist, Dr. Lin also volunteered her medical skills at Palisades Medical Center, a hospital in New York.

After the terrorist attacks on September 11, Dr. Lin wanted very much to help the wounded. But since Ground Zero was under military control, only authorized personnel were allowed to enter. After learning of her benevolent intentions, the Palisades Medical Center issued her a hospital volunteer ID card. With that card, she and several other Tzu Chi volunteers headed toward the restricted area.

As they got closer to the World Trade Center, they put on two or more gauze masks in order not to inhale the thick smoke and dust. In the restricted areas, paper and documents were strewn everywhere, and bulldozers were digging in the ruins. When Dr. Lin saw how carefully and respectfully rescue workers covered the bodies of the deceased with American flags and how they moved the bodies with their bare hands, she was greatly touched.

After Dr. Lin communicated with American officials, thirty Tzu Chi volunteers were allowed to deliver iced water to rescue workers at the disaster sites. When shopkeepers learned that the ice cubes the volunteers bought were to be delivered to the disaster areas, they did not charge them any money.

After the September 11 tragedy, more than twenty doctors on the East Coast of the United States expressed their desire to join the Tzu Chi medical team. This really lifted Dr. Lin's spirits.

Many of Dr. Lin's patients know that she is a Tzu Chi volunteer. Sometimes she has to start work at 7 a.m. instead of 9 in order to attend Tzu Chi activities. Most of her patients gladly cooperate with her because they know that she is helping the needy.

A Letter from Samoa

Dr. Fan Fong-Liang, Hawaii

Dr. Fan Fong-Liang, a well-known kidney transplant specialist in Hawaii, once held a free clinic in Samoa, a little island in the Pacific. The feedback he got from the islanders taught him the joy of selfless giving...

Doctors are often bogged down with busy schedules. But Dr. Fan Fong-Liang, a renowned kidney transplant specialist, is not only a Tzu Chi commissioner and a Tzu Cheng Faith Corps member--he is also the director of the Tzu Chi Hawaii Branch and the Tzu Chi Hawaii Free Clinic Center.

Because of his specialty, Dr. Fan is in frequent contact with dialysis patients. From them, he sees how an illness can affect a patient. Hung on the wall of his office is an aphorism quoted from Master Cheng Yen's Still Thoughts: "Do your best to do good deeds when you are still in good health." Knowing how important it is to have good health, Dr. Fan always feels a great sense of joy for a patient after a successful kidney transplant operation.

In addition to volunteering at the Tzu Chi Hawaii Free Clinic Center, Dr. Fan also participates in free clinics held by Tzu Chi in other countries. In August 1998, when he learned that people in Samoa, a small group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, were in dire need of medical care, he flew there with five other doctors and ten volunteers to hold a free clinic. They offered treatment in the fields of internal medicine, pediatrics, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology. In just two days, over eight hundred patients came to receive medical care!

After the free clinic, a local resident wrote a thank-you letter to Dr. Fan in praise of their benevolent action in bringing medical care and religious love to remote areas. Such feedback from patients enables Fan to experience the joy of selfless giving.

In the past, Dr. Fan was quick to show his temper when a nurse handed him the wrong surgical tool during an operation. Now, because of his involvement in Tzu Chi free clinics, he has come to see how one's mood can affect the whole team. Now he always does his best to create a harmonious atmosphere in his work place or at a free clinic.

Dr. Fan said that his medical education did not teach him how to care for a patient as a human being instead of just a medical case. "It is Tzu Chi that taught me this important lesson." He used to be serious, but now he always wears a smile on his face. His wife, Stephanie, was stunned by the change. "He has become a completely different person!"