wfn.org | Helping Palau's Women in Service of the Gospel

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Taiwan Church News 2610,  10th March 2002
Helping Palau's Women in Service of the Gospel
Reported by Lin Yi-ying,  Written by David Alexander

    Dr. Lin Jen-ju is a specialist in Gynecology and Obstetrics at

MacKay Memorial Hospital, and agency of the Presbyterian
Church in Taiwan.  She was the first member of the staff to
participate in a medical visitation team that went to Palau for
six months beginning last year in September.  One of her
deepest impressions was from a common practice there, that
when a fetus dies, the mother must wait until the stillborn
infant is born in the course of time.  During the time she spent
in Palau she was able, by her skill, to relieve many women
of the misery of this time of waiting.
    Dr. Lin said, "this time in Palau for medical service truly
gave me things to remember and consider.  At first very few
women came to the clinic we offered.  But then our presence
was made known through Palau's newspapers, and attendance
picked up.  Palau's Obstetrics capacity is very basic, and there
is nothing available to deal with infertility, cervical cancer,
prenatal examinations or many other problems.  In addition the
diet of Palauans has resulted in many women suffering from
diabetes and high blood pressure.  In this ways, the work of
the medical team was beneficial.
     Only 18,000 people live on Palau, and overseas Chinese
are not more than a hundred or so, but there is only one
Obstetrician there.  Because this doctor went to North
America for further training, MacKay hospital and Taiwan's
government teamed up to send a medical team.  This brought
some of the Chinese who live there, who usually don't visit
local doctors, to see to their own medical needs.  One of the
island's surgeons, a Korean, went home to see to his own
medical problems, .  Dr. Lin said, "Palau's medical resources
are very limited.  Though I could diagnose some surgical
needs, I haven't the training to pick up a knife and do anything
about them." MacKay sent a doctor to fill the gap.
    She concluded with the opinion that the work of this team
resulted in more good press for Taiwan than a ten-year
agricultural team that has been there.

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