Would you believe that NT$195 [US$7.10] per person would be enough to cure patients of thyroid tumors, cataracts, hernias, and other diseases? The Tzu Chi Philippine branch provided a three-day free clinic from August 15 to 17 in Isabella Province, in the northern part of the Philippines. A total of 2,561 people went for the free services, which included general medicine, surgery, pediatrics, dentistry, and ophthalmology. Surgeons operated on 38 patients with thyroid tumors and hernias. Ophthalmologists operated on people with cataracts and glaucoma. These operations gave the people joyful new life.

The clinic was assisted by the Chinese Merchant Association in Isabella Province, which provided the library of the Nanhsing Chinese School as the clinic site. All the necessary equipment, such as surgical knives, medicine, needles, etc., were transported from Manila. The medical team of 24 young, caring doctors and six nurses was led by Dr. Lu Hsiu-chuan, deputy chairperson for the Chung Jen Hospital in Manila. They sacrificed five days of holiday (including two days for travel there and back) to offer their expertise to assist poor Isabella people who urgently required medical assistance.

This was the largest free clinic in 50 years. It was also the best-publicized, with local radio stations broadcasting the news for two weeks. Patients from outside the province traveled for two or three hours to get there. People even went there in the middle of the night to register. The majority of them stated that this was the first time in their lives that they could see doctors, so they had to take advantage of this lifetime opportunity.

Spending 25,000 to 40,000 pesos for an operation to remove a thyroid tumor or cataract is unthinkable for destitute people who farm day to day. They were aware that they were ill and needed to see doctors, but since they did not have the money, all they could do was let their diseases become worse.

A woman had a thyroid tumor as large as an apple removed. The woman was observed for 24 hours and was then discharged. Before she left, her husband said emotionally, "For 20 years I was unable to let her have the operation. I am so glad that you are here!"

A 60-year-old woman whose eye was operated on for a cataract was told that her eyesight would be normal again in two weeks. She folded her hands together and said, "When my eye is normal again, I'll go to the radio station and call on all Filipinos not to kidnap or rob the Chinese, because it is the Chinese who provided this medical service to us and cured our sickness."

The free clinic was able to bring the Chinese and the locals together. "You must be a good and accepted Chinese wherever you are," Master Cheng Yen once said. "If you want to be accepted and welcomed, you must repay the community."

For three days, doctors and nurses stood for more than 13 hours at a time, operating on the continuous flow of patients. The load was three to four times that of their normal daily workload in the hospital. After each operation, the doctor had to carry the patient back to where he could rest with his family. Even young doctors became exhausted after spending the whole day operating and carrying patients to their beds.

The pediatrics and dentistry sections were also packed with patients. Many locals lacked fundamental knowledge of health, so many had periodontal disease. When a dentist was pulling out a decayed tooth from a patient, other teeth from the same row just fell out! The dentists saw 449 patients, and 1,300 teeth were pulled out.

Six Tzu Chi members handed out medicine. Dr. Chen, from general medicine, asked patients with illnesses like high blood pressure and heart problems to take home a three-month supply of medicine. This forced Sister Je-chen, who was in charge of supplying medicine, to send people out four times in one day to purchase more medicine.

In the recovery room, we could see many Tzu Chi people looking after patients who required 24-hour observation. Two sisters, each more than 70 years old, took care of an anesthetized patient, wiping his vomit, measuring his temperature and pouring him water, just as if he were their own relative. They also gave multi-vitamin pills to patients and their families. The patients and their family members were touched by their actions.

"Tzu Chi's members' care and respect towards patients not only reduced their pain, but also injected the power of love into the doctors," said Dr. Ke, who was busy with surgery.