Case One: Losing a Leg Due to Seven-hour Delay

"If the Tzu Chi Talin Hospital had been finished by now, my right leg could have been saved," said Hsieh Ming-jui while pointing to the future site for the hospital across the street. "The Yunlin-Chiayi area really needs a hospital."

Two months ago, Hsieh's right leg was accidentally crushed by a bulldozer, and he was sent immediately to a local clinic. Due to the seriousness of the injury, he was transferred to a major hospital in a neighbouring county. He was in the ICU for one week. After two operations, his right leg still had to be amputated. Hsieh's father recalled the situation. "These two operations were done to save his leg, but the muscles, nerves and blood vessels around the wound were dead. In addition, bacteria had poisoned the blood, causing his head to enlarge to about twice its original size . That was why the third operation was carried out to amputate the leg."

It took seven hours from the initial emergency treatment at that clinic to complete the transfer to the larger county hospital. Because Hsieh did not receive adequate treatment in time, his leg had to be amputated. Hsieh's home is just across the street from the site of the future Tzu Chi Talin Hospital. He is waiting for the end of this year, when the wound will have healed completely. Then he can put on an artificial leg and begin to walk again.

Although he lost his right leg, Hsieh is still quite optimistic. He is happy that three years from now the hospital will be completed, and he hopes that his friends and neighbors will never face a situation like his.

Case Two: This Is Excellent News!

Today, Tsai Ping-chuan is intently doing his homework. His mother talked about his accident in the winter of 1993. In a kindergarten in Chiayi, Ping-chuan was playing on the playground swing. A friend pushed him higher and higher. Suddenly, Ping-chuan fell off the swing, and landed on the ground with a hard blow to his head. Since there was no apparent injury, he was sent home to be observed by his parents.

Two hours later, his pupils suddenly dilated and he was rushed to a hospital. Ping-chuan underwent surgery, but after one week in the hospital, his eyes were still closed. Filled with anxiety, his parents sent his medical report to many major hospitals, looking for help. All the hospitals turned down Ping-chuan's case. However, the pediatrics department at the Tzu Chi Hospital replied, "We'll do our best if you come." The parents rushed to Hualien, driving for nine hours through the night.

At that time, Ping-chuan's body was stiff and his head was tilted to one side because of the injury. His mother cared for him 24 hours a day, and he had four rehabilitation sessions each day for over a month. Slowly his condition improved. Two months later he went home to Chiayi, and in the following two and a half years he continued rehabilitation at a local hospital.

Currently, Ping-chuan is in the first grade, and his mother is his constant companion. He is able to sit in a chair to do his homework, to have a simple conversation with his classmates, to raise his hand in class, and other simple tasks. Ping-chuan's mother hopes that in the future she can train him to go to the washroom himself, to control his wheelchair, and eventually be able to look after himself completely.

Gazing at her son's smiling face, Ping-chuan's mother heard that the Talin Hospital was going to be built. She said, "This is excellent news!"

Case Three: I Want to be a Volunteer
at the Tzu Chi Talin Hospital!

Last August, Wang Kuo-jung of Chiayi had a serious accident. His motorcycle went over a wall, throwing him to the ground, where he lay unconscious by the roadside. He was sent to a local hospital, but due to his critical condition, he was transferred to a hospital in Kaohsiung. He was diagnosed as having only external wounds. He was in the hospital for one month, where he underwent two operations on his right leg.

After being discharged from the hospital, he slowly lost control over his body. He was unable to stand or walk. He had no sensation below his head, he lost control over his bodily functions, and his feet slowly atrophied. He also needed a respirator to help him breathe.

Wang originally weighed 84 kg [185 lbs], but dropped to 60 kg [132 lbs] after the accident. His wife saw his condition deteriorating and was quite worried. With the help of two Tzu Chi members, Wang was sent to the Tzu Chi Hospital.

Doctors there discovered that there was an injury to his spinal cord at the twelfth vertebra. The doctors who had initially cared for him had only treated his limbs and ignored the possibility of a back injury. Wang spent five months in the hospital. He improved greatly, regaining his mobility. His life was returning.

He can now walk 100 steps with a walker. He sat on the edge of his bed and gave a thumb's up sign, saying, "The Talin Hospital should be built fast, and I want to be a volunteer at the hospital."

THE SECOND TZU CHI HOSPITAL IS BEING BUILT!

Second Report on the Building of the Tzu Chi Talin Hospital

By Lee Shu-hui
Translated by Lin Sen-shou

The Tzu Chi Talin Hospital that everyone has been waiting for finally had its groundbreaking ceremony on October 13. There have been five years of planning, dealing with the difficulties of obtaining land, and generating support from the public. When construction is finished, this hospital will offer complete medical services and elevate medical standards for the Yunlin-Chiayi area in south-central Taiwan

No Life Should Be Ignored

Medical resources in the Yunlin-Chiayi area have been considered scanty. Based on statistics from the Department of Health, there is an average of 30 hospital beds for every 10,000 people in Taiwan. The highest ratio, 66 beds per 10,000, is found in the city of Chiayi, while the lowest, eight beds per 10,000, is in the county of Chiayi. Analyzing by medical area, the Yunlin area would be considered the poorest, with only 19 beds per 10,000. From these statistics, it is clear that there is a serious shortage of medical resources in northern Chiayi county. For this reason, Tzu Chi has decided to build a hospital in the city of Talin, in the northern part of Chiayi County.

Although the Department of Health lists Chiayi City as an area with surplus medical resources, there is only one regional government hospital. The local residents feel that the hospital can handle non-critical illnesses and injuries, but when it comes to serious ones, patients are often turned away, misdiagnosed or transferred. Some have even lost their lives because of delays in treatment. Therefore, residents often choose to go to Taipei, Taichung or Kaohsiung for medical treatment.

Insufficient medical resources have been a major problem for the Yunlin-Chiayi area for a long time. For example, cancer patients can only receive initial diagnosis in this area. The nearest hospital with the capability to biopsy tumors and provide chemotherapy is the Changhua Christian Hospital. Travelling two hours to and from this hospital only makes cancer treatment harder for those patients living in Chiayi and Yunlin.

In addition, eight percent of the local population are senior citizens, so geriatric care is important. One diabetic patient explained that he went to Taipei for treatment because the hospital there also provided detailed medical information in addition to medication, allowing him to be in charge of his own health.

It is not hard to see that the local residents not only need proper medical care, but they also need specialists who can provide self-care guidance for each patient. In some remote areas, unlicensed doctors practice freely, and people who do not have any sign of urgent illness visit these doctors. Cases of malpractice often occur.

Advancing Towards a New Medical Milestone

Adopting Tzu Chi General Hospital's spirit of humane care for both the physical and psychological needs of patients, and maintaining the same atmosphere of compassionate caring by volunteers, the Talin Hospital will continue to pursue the ideals of Tzu Chi General Hospital. It will enter local communities and remote areas to carry out medical treatment with love. Its goal is to provide medical treatment that is professional, universal and humane.

The hospital is on 18 hectares [44.5 acres] of land. The first stage of the hospital's construction aims to provide 1,000 beds, including 600 beds for general use, 350 for chronic illness, and 50 for acute mental illness. There will be 21 departments and also a palliative care ward, allowing terminally-ill patients to receive dignified care. The establishment of the chronic care unit will allow patients with chronic diseases or mental illness to receive the special care they need.

In the future, the hospital will also be the home of a medical research centre. The centre will focus on research in emergency care, neurology, cardiovascular diseases, cancer prevention, and community care.

In order to make medical care universally available, the hospital plans to cooperate with local health clinics to set up health stations in remote areas. It will also set up a contract system with local doctors to carry out basic medical services. Thus, the hospital will provide convenient medical treatment for local residents, and at the same time, it will also assist the Department of Health in establishing a Taiwan-wide medical network.

In the same way that they supported the construction of the Tzu Chi General Hospital 10 years ago, Tzu Chi members, both at home and abroad, have offered great assistance in building the Talin Hospital. Support from and coordination with legislative representatives and the Chiayi county government have also helped to smooth the way for this hospital.