wfn.org | TCN: Orchid Island residents get free medical services through church-hospital partnership

["Taiwan Church News" <enews@pctpress.org>]

>      Taiwan Church News

>2993 Edition

>July 6~12, 2009

Orchid Island residents get free medical services through  church-hospital partnership

>Reported by Chen Wei-jian

>Written by Lydia Ma

Taipei Presbytery’s Bei-Men Church, Changhua  Presbytery’s David

Landsborough Church, and Changhua Christian Hospital recently  combined

efforts to send a team of medical professionals and youth to go to  Orchid Island

and serve in six Presbyterian churches within aboriginal reserves  and in local

>health clinics.

More than 50 people participated in this event held from July 3~6  which included

a youth music retreat led by Bei-Men and David Landsborough  churches, free

dental services organized by Bei-Men Church through Taipei Medical  School

Alumni Association, and a seminar on general health given by  Changhua

Christian Hospital. The hospital also provided free eye  treatments, Chinese

medicine consultations, and first-aid kits to local churches.  Youth from Bei-Men

>Church also provided academic tutoring.

According to a team leader, trips to local churches in Orchid  Island began in

2007 to understand and meet the medical needs of the residents in  Orchid

Island. The design of this year’s medical services was based  on prior

experiences serving aborigines living in reserves.Most  participants in this year’s

team were youth in their twenties to help today’s youth  practice generosity.

Through these trips, members from Bei-Men Church have grown very  close to

>Tao tribe Christian aborigines.

According to Changhua Christian Hospital Associate Superintendent  Jou Shian-

jang, more than 70 seniors lined up to see a doctor for chronic  illnesses and

diseases associated with old age. The costs of providing these  services were

absorbed by the hospital instead of the Bureau of National Health  Insurance.

Besides sending medical professionals to provide free services and  giving one

free set of sphygmomanometer and first-aid kit to every church,  the hospital also

promised to send free first-aid kits and supplies every 6 months.

Tao District Moderator Rev. Jou Ding-sung said local residents had  praised the

medical services provided by this team because services were more

comprehensive than those provided by the local government.  Seminars also

clarified misconceptions many had about their health. Jou pointed  out that people

living in Orchid Island would continue to need medical attention  and hoped that

teams such as this one would come every year and stay a while  longer.

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