It was night, and visitors from afar were sound asleep in the Tzu Chi School classrooms. Having arrived at 1 a.m., five-year-old Andichirul and his parents from Cianjur, West Java, were resting as well. As soon as the sun rose, Andichirul would undergo an operation.

It seemed as though patients and their families from many parts of Indonesia were turning the Tzu Chi free clinic in the Tzu Chi Village into a noisy market. Andichirul smiled when a Tzu Chi volunteer waved at him, and his father said, “This is the first time that he has ever left home, so he is very excited.”

Andichirul was afraid to attend school because of his cleft lip. His father said, “He really wants to go to school, and he also wants an end to his cleft lip.” The mere thought of possibly healing his lip encouraged the boy to bravely receive shots. His father said that they had heard about the free clinic from their village leader. Tzu Chi volunteers had rented cars to bring them here. Andichirul and other villagers who had been brought to the clinic felt that they were very fortunate.

Love surrounds Fatimah

The fifteenth free clinic was underway when a cry almost tore apart the ceiling. When nine-year-old Fatimah realized that her surgery would cause her some pain, she tried to run away. Her father didn’t have a clue as to what to do with her. Although the young Fatimah had always dreamed of how beautiful she would look afterwards, she was still terrified of her first operation.

Tzu Chi volunteer Shen Mao-hua ran after her and brought her back. Volunteer Fu Miao-chih brought some balloons and asked another volunteer, Budi, who loved to tell jokes, to persuade Fatimah to change her mind and accept the surgery.

Finally, after taking some Valium, Fatimah calmed down. Accompanied by Fu, she was then rolled into the operating room. Her worrying father told Fu, “I hope you can stay with her throughout the surgery to make sure she is alright.” Fu stayed in the surgery room, without lunch, until the surgery was over. He then brought Fatimah to the recovery room and handed her over to her father.

Fatimah’s father was delighted to see her cleft lip repaired and said with a smile, “She has become more beautiful and can go to school now. Lots of boys will chase after her!”

Fu has participated in free clinics quite often and was responsible for documenting the events of these free clinics. This was the first time that he came in direct contact with patients. He said that Fatimah lived at least 120 kilometers from the free clinic, so it was difficult for her and her family to come this far. “I didn’t want to see the girl come such a long way and then give up and go home without the surgery.”

Fu was touched to see volunteers and medical professionals from Indonesia, the Philippines, and Taiwan all working together to undo this girl’s defect. He said, “When I brought Fatimah to the surgery room, the medical personnel helped me without saying a word.” He continued: “Do you know that today is my birthday? And everyone working together to make this girl beautiful is the best birthday present.”

Cheering for brave Ramdan and Sofian

Six-year-old Ramdan walked directly to the recovery room after his surgery. When his waiting mother saw him walk out so bravely, her strong will suddenly broke down and she started to weep. The boy lay quietly on the bed without turning from side to side, bravely tolerating the pain as the anesthetics faded away.

Ramdan’s father worked as a farm laborer, and his mother washed clothes to make a living. When their village leader told them about the Tzu Chi free clinic, the mother skipped lunch and rushed right over to register. She said, “When I found out that it was possible to change his appearance free of charge and to bring back his confidence, I felt as if this was a blessing from heaven.”

Seeing his cleft lip mended, his mother didn’t worry anymore. She said, “Tzu Chi has solved his problem. This will have a major effect on his future, and it has also brought much hope to us.”

Sofian’s mother had heard that people could get free treatment at the site, so she brought him to the free clinic without any prior examination.

Sofian was not tall, and his wide cap still couldn’t hide his right eye, which protruded from a tumor on the right side of his face. His appearance struck a chord in everyone’s heart. The mother of this shy 14-year-old said that his eyes started having problems seven years ago. Although he had seen an ophthalmologist and had surgery, his illness remained. The vision in his right eye was fading, and his left eye couldn’t see clearly. His deformed cheekbone was pressuring his nasal cavity so that he couldn’t breathe normally.

Dr. Lin Shinn-zong, superintendent of Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, immediately diagnosed the boy with a maxillary sinus tumor; surgery was the only way to cure the illness. However, joint treatment by an otolaryngologist, a plastic surgeon, an oral surgeon, and a neurosurgeon was required to fight the illness. Unfortunately, the free clinic did not have the capability to perform such a task.

The volunteers decided to treat Sofian on a long-term basis. His mother said with comfort, “We really want to take him for treatment, but we don’t have the money. We are glad to know about Tzu Chi, but it would have been better if we had found out about Tzu Chi much earlier.”

Finding people who need help

The free clinic focused on small surgeries for thyroid tumors, hernias, cleft lips, small tumors, and cataracts. It helped over 360 people from Jakarta and nearby cities like Cianjur, Tajur, Ken Cana, and Cilacap. After the free clinic, the patients received their notices for the next appointments. Such continuous service makes the free clinics more effective.

Tzu Chi spreads the news of its free clinics to the public through local hospitals and village heads. Huang Hui-ling, a volunteer with the Tzu Chi International Medical Association, said that village heads, who already know which people in the village are in greatest need, can help Tzu Chi find more poor people who are troubled by illness. Liu Su-mei, CEO of the Tzu Chi Indonesia branch, remarked that this method is very effective and also helps Tzu Chi make a better free clinic plan corresponding to the area served and the number of people who come.

While distributing rice and other relief supplies, Tzu Chi volunteers continually meet poor people who are in need of treatment. Liu stated that patients usually go to their local hospitals for treatment along with help and money provided by Tzu Chi. If patients live near the Tzu Chi Free Clinic Center, they are treated there.

To benefit people in outlying areas, Tzu Chi also arranges transportation for them. Liu describes how mindful the medical team is: “The examination team and the transportation team arrange for patients’ transportation, and then the patients are accompanied by local volunteers to the Free Clinic Center.”

Patients do not feel exhausted by coming a long way and waiting to be treated, and they also do not need to worry about transportation costs and medical fees. Instead, they feel blessed. Huang Hui-ling said that she could sense their joy after their illnesses were treated.

It may be the fate of people living in the deep mountains to endure a lack of medical treatment, but beyond this fate is the Great Love that treasures and sustains these valuable lives.

Nine years of medical care

Tzu Chi free clinics in Indonesia started in 1995 by cooperating with the health bureaus of Tangerang and Serang counties in distributing medicine and nutritional supplements to people suffering from tuberculosis.

At that time, the Tzu Chi Indonesia branch office had not yet been established and there were not many volunteers. Therefore, the volunteers needed help from local health bureaus and charity groups. Liu recalled her decision to hold the free clinics. “It was a major challenge since there were too many poor people and tuberculosis was contagious. However, I thought that if we didn’t do it at all, more and more people would contract the disease. We just had to do it despite all difficulties.”

The Tzu Chi free clinics started out as simply handing out medicine and providing a medical team on a rotating basis. Gradually they developed into major clinics such that in March 1999, the volunteers held the first free clinic that included minor operations. The clinics have been held in 12 towns in Indonesia, with the farthest place being Otorita, Batam Island; volunteers had to get there by plane.

From March 1999 to February 2004, five large-scale free clinics were held which served over 50,000 people. When the Tzu Chi Free Clinic Center was opened in the Tzu Chi Village in August 2003, medical services were greatly improved.

In earlier times when free clinics were held in the countryside, a huge number of volunteers were mobilized to spend much time moving all the equipment such as medical equipment, medicine, tents, power generators, kitchens, and even toilets to the free clinic sites. Also, when it came to borrowing facilities at local hospitals to hold free clinics, there were also problems like communication difficulties and the lack of sufficient space in the local hospitals.

Now, they have a permanent Tzu Chi Free Clinic Center. Lu Lien-chu, who is in charge of general services at the center, said delightedly, “We don’t need to worry about having to cooperate with local hospitals, and we don’t need to worry about asking so many people to move so much equipment! We’ll be able to concentrate on providing the best services to patients.”

At the Free Clinic Center, each individual office allows each doctor to work more efficiently and also allows surgeries to be carried out more safely. Near or on the day a free clinic is held, volunteers are able to help patients who come from far away to rest in classrooms at the Tzu Chi School before treatment. Volunteers also provide patients with food and drinking water. The Free Clinic Center has a more comfortable space for recovering and resting patients instead of the makeshift rooms used in the past.

The Free Clinic Center has a better treatment environment and equipment, and the quality of medical services has also much improved. This is a comfort to the medical professionals who volunteer their services.

Ophthalmologist Shih Mei-sheng from the Philippine branch of the Tzu Chi International Medical Association borrowed four sets of ultrasound cataract surgical equipment for the free clinic from a medical equipment sales agent in Indonesia. Shih is famous in the Philippines and said that it has become easier for Indonesian volunteers to hold free clinics because now they have their own equipment.

The involvement of local doctors

This was the 15th major free clinic, and it involved medical professionals from Taiwan and the Philippines.

Yeh Tien-hao has participated in four free clinics in Indonesia. In Taiwan, he specializes in plastic surgery and is responsible for cleft lip surgeries in the free clinics. The quality of medical care in Taiwan is higher than that in Indonesia, and there are fewer people with cleft lips. Yeh’s near-perfect skill in treating cleft lips doesn’t help him much in Taiwan, so he always volunteers in the overseas free clinics. Furthermore, he always studies specialized medical books before each free clinic to prepare himself. He said, “Although cleft lip surgery has no future in Taiwan, Indonesia has many people with this problem. I need to improve my skills even more to help them.”

Dr. Liu Tsung-nan from the Philippines has been involved with the free clinics for nine years. He is so devoted that he constantly forgets the time. After he mended Fatimah’s cleft lip, the girl’s father kept saying, “She has become beautiful!” Dr. Liu remarked, “It feels good to help patients solve their long-term problems.”

Dr. Liu looks so humble and simple that no one can see his strong belief in himself: “If I can keep operating for one more hour to improve patients’ lives, then it is worth it.” He has never given up any opportunities to help. “If Indonesia needs me, I’ll come to help for sure!”

In the early stages of developing the free clinics, volunteers designed the registration form and created patient files, medicine bags, and medicine catalogues; then they gradually learned to help nurses grind and pack the medicines. Liu Su-mei pointed out that every free clinic is an opportunity to correct problems that occur. “In the past, we didn’t have permanent medical staff members, so we had to depend on ourselves. If we didn’t understand something, we would ask the professionals and they were always glad to help us.”

Medical professionals who have participated in many free clinics have been moved by the volunteers’ sincerity to become members of the Tzu Chi International Medical Association, even though they originally joined only because their hospitals ordered them to. Currently, the Indonesian branch of the medical association has close to 80 medical staff members.

Superintendent Budiyono of Aceh Air Force Hospital joined the medical association in 1998. He observed that volunteers and medical personnel from different countries and racial backgrounds work together harmoniously, and that this harmony is the most beautiful moment in the world. Moreover, it is not only one moment, but continues on moment after moment.

Dr. Sumardi is a Muslim who often participates in Tzu Chi free clinics. “Indonesians aren’t afraid of having surgery; they just don’t have the money to pay for it. The Tzu Chi free clinics are very meaningful to them.”

Surgeon Dedy from West Java often goes to local health bureaus to find needy patients, helps them get preliminary checkups, and arranges their trips to Tzu Chi free clinics. “I’m both delighted and embarrassed. I’m happy because I can help those who need help and embarrassed because I can’t set up a charity group like Tzu Chi to help more people.”

No more regrets

On February 20, less than two weeks after the free clinic, Dr. Dedy and Indonesian volunteers went to Cianjur to see how the patients were doing.

Mohammad was 19 months old. After his hernia surgery, he became very active. His mother said that he had completely recovered and didn’t suffer anymore from the hernia, and so he had become very high-spirited.

We remembered that after Mohammad’s surgery, his father wrote on a balloon that a volunteer had given to him: “Thanks to Yayasan Buddha Tzu Chi. Mohammad Riqzi Azis bin Khoeruddin Abdul Azis bin Tatang bin Tjiran (Thanks to the Tzu Chi Foundation, from Mohammad’s father, grandfather and great-grandfather).”

As for Fatimah who almost ran away from the free clinic because of her fear of surgery, there was no more sign of the cleft lip on her face. There was only a tiny trace with ointment on it. She looked very shy, and her mended upper lip went well with her beautiful face. Her father looked at her with a smile. “In the past, we couldn’t imagine what her fate would be, but now we don’t worry about it anymore.” Fatimah wants to go to school and become a doctor to help people.

When we looked back at the free clinic, we saw that Andichirul’s parents were happy for him. Ramdan’s mother was sad to see her son in pain from the surgery. Fatimah’s father hoped that she would marry a good husband. Mohammad’s family gave him their blessings…. The children’s illnesses and recoveries pulled strongly on their parents’ hearts, a silent language common throughout the world.

Indonesian volunteers are mainly citizens of Chinese descent who, after years of enduring difficulties and racial bias, resolutely work for the Tzu Chi missions of charity and medicine. The Free Clinic Center has scheduled outpatient services, regular free clinical services, and regular free clinics in remote areas. The center is planning to set up an emergency rescue team.