The 14th Taiwan Medical Dedication Award accredited all awardees with the respectful title of “Life Ferryman”--extending helping hands wherever there is suffering and setting the sails of a “compassion ship” to help rescue those suffering in a sea of anguish and sickness and deliver them to the harbor of health and joy. The Taiwan Executive Yuan’s Department of Health, the Legislature’s Welfare and Environmental Foundation, and the Min Sheng Daily newspaper give out the award each year as a token of appreciation to medical workers who devote their efforts to patients without asking for anything in return.

Tseng Chen-li, chair of the panel of judges, said, “Tzu Chi volunteers who transcend the boundaries of religion, race, and nationality extend the spirit of Great Love to every corner around the world.”

Approving of TIMA’s philanthropic deeds, Chen Chien-jen, director of the Department of Health, praised TIMA members for not only taking care of poor patients in Taiwan, but also extending a helping hand to impoverished patients in other countries.

Dr. Lin Chin-lon, the convener of TIMA and the superintendent of Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital, received the award on behalf of TIMA on April 24. He remarked, “What TIMA has been doing is pretty ordinary.”

Founded in 1998, TIMA has more than 2,000 members in 10 countries around the world. After taking off their white robes and nurse uniforms, kind-hearted medical professionals are transformed into bodhisattvas (beings that compassionately refrain from entering nirvana in order to save others) once they put on their TIMA uniforms. With smiles on their faces, these people step out of air-conditioned hospitals to travel to remote places in need of their expertise. Who needs medical services in those places? They might be people who are too poor to see doctors, residents of small towns and villages where medical resources are scarce, or marginal people living on the streets.

TIMA members try to go anywhere people need help, no matter how far it is, be it in Taiwan, Southeast Asia, the Americas, or Oceania. By the end of 2003, TIMA had held over 650 free clinics throughout the world and treated more than half a million poor patients.

If we track down where they have been, we can probably get a glimpse of their extraordinary character through their ordinary but noble deeds.

Reaching out to where there is need

Longreach is located in the remote, desolate outback of Queensland, Australia. Although the state government provides medical equipment, few doctors are willing to be stationed there on a long-term basis. Young physicians are eager to establish their bases in big cities, and retired senior doctors do not wish to settle down in a deserted and wild place. In the town of Alpha, for example, not a single dentist would like to provide his services to the more than 200 inhabitants in this small town. People afflicted with toothaches have to cope with the pain by taking painkillers or anti-inflammatory pills. It is very unlikely that this situation will ever change.

From April 9 to 17 this year, a group of dental school graduates who were also members of the Tzu Chi Collegial Association set off from Brisbane and traveled thousands of kilometers to hold free clinics that treated more than 400 people in several small towns in the states of Queensland and Tasmania.

Grabbing the chance to see a dentist, local residents swarmed to the free clinics. The clinic team was busy treating patients from morning until 3 a.m. the following morning. Steven Chen, one of the dentists, said, “I didn’t feel tired when I was at work. However, after eight days of service, I was surprised to find that everyone had dark circles around their eyes.”

These young dentists of the Tzu Chi Collegiate Association held their first free clinic in July 2002. So far they have held five free clinics. “When we first brought up the idea of free clinics to the Queensland Department of Health, no one believed that we really meant to do it and that we would keep on doing it.” These young and devoted volunteers visit places where there are no dentists. They also give priority to treating people who are unable to see dentists due to financial problems or transportation obstacles.

After receiving the help that they need so badly, inhabitants treat the Tzu Chi volunteers like their relatives. “When we just got off the bus, we saw a nurse waiting for us at the front door of the local clinic. She showed us the facilities, arranged accommodations for us, and finally spread the word that Tzu Chi dentists were in town,” said Neil Huang, director of the Tzu Chi Brisbane office.

Locals welcome the team warmly by attentively preparing rooms, food, and cooking utensils before their arrival. The welcome and farewell parties are also so touching that team members will remember them for the rest of their lives.

Providing what is needed most

At six in the morning of February 29, there was a boisterous scene at the Northern Rizal Yorklin High School in Caloocan City, the Philippines. It turned out that Tzu Chi volunteers had borrowed the school to help 58 poor inhabitants install customized dentures. Not long before, Tzu Chi volunteers had checked and treated their teeth during the 48th free clinic. A total of 17 dentists and technicians came back to help them install the dentures.

May-ming and her mother-in-law set off at midnight. After a three-hour bus ride, they arrived at the school to get the dentures that they had been anxiously waiting for. May-ming said her old mother-in-law had to chew without teeth, which made everything she ate tasteless, so she didn’t eat much and became thin and feeble.

May-ming felt sorry for her mother-in-law, but could do nothing about it since one set of dentures easily cost up to 3,000 or 4,000 pesos (about US$60). She earned only 4,800 pesos per month by working in a school restaurant. Her husband was a construction worker who earned 190 pesos per day, but his work was unstable. So the couple had no extra money for their mother-in-law’s dentures. Once they heard about the Tzu Chi free clinics, they decided to come no matter how far away the clinics were.

A 78-year-old man came with his 75-year-old wife. The old retiree used to work as a janitor at a school for 30 years. One time a dentist who had just graduated from school made free dentures for him, but they wore out after some time. The old lady also used to have a bridge, but it accidentally fell into a toilet and flushed away. The couple was so ecstatic to get new dentures that they kissed each other on the spot, bringing much laughter to the crowd.

The Tzu Chi Free Clinic in Los Angeles, California, also installs dentures for the poor. Their better-looking appearance gives them more confidence to look for jobs. The clinic also helps poor children to get glasses so that they can see what is written on the blackboard.

From basic medical treatments to installing dentures and getting glasses, the workload of TIMA is constantly increasing. However, TIMA’s services bring a better quality of life for people in need.

Home care

The Tzu Chi free clinic model of delivering long-term and regular medical care at fixed places helps to effectively track patients’ health conditions and to give prompt medical treatment where it is needed, which in turn gives recovered patients a sense of confidence in medical care. It is hoped that patients will overcome old misconceptions and learn to get regular checkups.

This form of free clinic serves people living in remote villages and the offshore islets of Taiwan. In addition, Tzu Chi also extends free medical services to homeless people wandering in the city, senior citizens living alone, and the handicapped.

Hung Hung-tien, a TIMA volunteer from southern Taiwan, remarked that although the monthly free clinics have limited functions, whenever volunteers see patients improving both physically and mentally due to their persistent care, it gives them the strength to keep on going. Lu Fang-chuan, a TIMA volunteer from northern Taiwan, stated firmly, “Our care won’t last for just one day!”

From regular free clinics in fixed places to home visits, medical personnel and volunteers go ever deeper into remote mountain areas to treat patients who cannot reach medical care.

For years Tzu Chi volunteers have visited patients’ homes in Chiayi County, located in southern Taiwan. On the third Sunday of each month, patients in wheelchairs anxiously wait for Tzu Chi volunteers in front of their doors. TIMA member Chiang Wen-yi said, “It makes me so happy to see the joyful expressions on the patients’ faces.”

What often shocks TIMA volunteers is that there are still so many people in need of help in remote places. This increases their determination to deliver home care, which symbolizes their sincere love towards the needy.

Amicability is the best cure

People who receive care and treatment at Tzu Chi free clinics are often deeply impressed by the multifaceted and complete services including reception, registration, checkup, diagnosis, prescription, rehabilitation, group activities, food distribution, and above all, the Tzu Chi volunteers’ amicable and devoted attitude toward patients.

At TIMA’s free clinics held in Pedu, Kedah, Malaysia, for example, there are three standard preparatory procedures. First, volunteers estimate the number of patients to be treated a week before a free clinic starts so that the medical team can prepare sufficient medications. Secondly, they thoroughly clean the clinic site and set up temporary wards, a registration desk, a pharmacy, and a kitchen. Finally, medical personnel officially show up to provide medical treatment.

The villagers in Pedu are mostly of Thai descent. Young people often leave home to earn their living in the cities, while the elders are left behind to look after their homes. When the old people fall ill, it is quite difficult for them to visit a doctor because of their weak physical condition and lack of transportation. For minor illnesses, they take over-the-counter medicine. They do not go to a hospital until the illness becomes serious. The delayed treatment often makes the situation critical.

Since 1999, TIMA has held a free clinic every four months in the Thai temple in Pedu. More than 15 free clinics have been held there so far. Villagers greatly appreciate the friendly volunteers and the helpful doctors. These two factors combined are good enough to cure 50 percent of the illnesses the villagers have.

Villagers do not mind waiting for medical treatment because they take a free clinic as a time for wonderful social gatherings, chatting with friends under a tree, getting a free haircut (provided by volunteers), etc. In the spacious square in front of the temple, Tzu Chi volunteers play games with children. Parents smile when they see their children having such a great time. As each free clinic approaches, the villagers become rather excited. They keep double-checking with each other about the exact date of the free clinic, which shows how much they look forward to the activity.

Giving hope to all desperate lives

Abiding by the conviction of “respect for all life,” TIMA members will not give up on any life that needs hope. They travel to remote areas and hold free clinics to alleviate the problem of insufficient medical resources. At a free clinic, if TIMA members feel an illness is too serious to be cured on the spot, they transfer the patient to a local hospital and continue to keep track of the patient’s condition. If the local hospital is still unable to deal with the illness, the TIMA volunteers consider sending the patient to a large hospital in the capital city or even back to one of the Tzu Chi hospitals in Taiwan.

When TIMA held a free clinic on Bintan Island, Indonesia, in 2001, they found Suliana, whose face and chest had been burned by an oil lamp when she was a child. The accident caused her chin to stick to her chest, distorted her face, and prevented her from eating properly. Her peculiar appearance made her lead an isolated life for 20 years.

TIMA members could not bear to see her suffer, and they wanted to help resolve her problem. Suliana could hardly believe that anyone would want to help her--she was just accompanying one of her relatives to a free clinic--so she left without giving any contact information to the volunteers.

However, the volunteers did not give up. Through the help of the Indonesian central radio station, newspapers, the social welfare department, and a local medical association, they finally got hold of Suliana eight months later. One day as Suliana’s uncle was listening to the radio, he heard the news about the search for Suliana, so he passed the information to his niece. On August 2, 2002, Suliana, who had just celebrated her 27th birthday, traveled by boat for 24 hours from Bintan Island to a hospital in Jakarta where she underwent two operations.

Now Suliana’s face looks a lot better. She can turn her neck and eat easily. She said that the food tastes especially delicious since she can eat without dropping food on the floor. This September, she will undergo surgery again to separate the skin that glues her arms and armpits together. If everything goes well, Suliana can regain the use of her upper arms.

With the help of these operations, Suliana has gradually recovered her confidence. Instead of isolating herself from society by working on a ship, she plans to open a small business on land so that she can take care of her mother. Even with such promising hope for the future, Suliana still can’t believe that Tzu Chi volunteers once made such great efforts to look for her and help her all the way to recovery.

Suliana is not the only one who receives constant care and concern from TIMA. Noventhree, an Indonesian boy afflicted with gigantiform cementoma, and Sofyan Sukmara, another Indonesian boy afflicted with fibrous dysplasia, have both been taken care of by TIMA and Tzu Chi physicians. They all represent the achievements of Tzu Chi medical personnel whose persistence and love bring hope to desperate people in the world.

Health depends on oneself

The Tzu Chi Indonesia branch held its 17th free clinic on April 17. In the dental department, children were playing around and unwilling to sit still. A dentist gathered up these children, brought out a model of the teeth and a huge toothbrush, and showed them the correct way to brush their teeth.

When the dentist finished his demonstration and left, a naughty child walked onto the stage and imitated the doctor’s voice saying, “All right, let me show you the proper way to brush your teeth.” The other children laughed happily.

In addition to offering medical services to people living in remote areas, TIMA members also promote the idea that prevention is more important than treatment. TIMA volunteer Kuo Shih-cheng remarked that when physicians treat patients, it is important for them to teach the patients how to prevent illness, how to stay healthy, how to lead a good life, how to correct mistaken hygienic ideas, and how to eat a healthy, balanced diet.

At a TIMA free clinic in the Philippines, a father came all the way to express his gratitude. He said that five years before his child had been referred to a local hospital to receive better treatment with the aid of TIMA volunteers. Now his child had completely recovered and was doing well in school. For five years, he had kept the transfer notice and prescription in an envelope which he carried with him every day--a gesture of gratitude to Tzu Chi.

At a free clinic in Indonesia, local volunteer Jamin again helped invite many more poor people to obtain free medical treatment. For the last two years, he has been searching from one village to another for people in need of medical services. People sometimes ask about Tzu Chi’s religious affiliation. He tells them that Tzu Chi makes no distinctions among religions and that helping the needy is the foundation’s major concern. What motivates Jamin to serve as a Tzu Chi volunteer? According to him, “Many patients are too weak to help themselves, and capable Tzu Chi members are able to help them out.”

Sweat will dry and fatigue will go away after a rest. However, it is an everlasting joy to see a patient’s life changing for the better because of Tzu Chi’s help. TIMA volunteers feel grateful to have the chance to serve; they humbly state that what they have been doing is something very ordinary, since they often gain much more than what they give away--peace of mind.