wfn.org | President of Palau Thanks MacKay Hospital Team

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

Taiwan Church News 2610,  10th March 2002
Reported by Lin Yi-ying,  Written by David Alexander

    President Remen Gesau of the Republic of Palau made it a
special point to invite Dr. Hwang Chun-hsiung, superintendent
of the Taiwan Presbyterian Church's Mackay Memorial Hospital
to a diplomatic reception during his recent 5-day visit to
Taiwan.

This was, in part, to thank the hospital for sending a short-term
(6 month) visiting medical team to his country beginning in
September of last year.  The team specialized in Obstetrical and
Gynecological care, a field in which Palau is short of
specialists.

    The reception, held on February 27th, was hosted by Taiwan's
president Chen Shui-bian.  Apart from ambassadors and
diplomatic personnel, only three ordinary citizens were invited.
These included the head of the travel bureau, the head of a
fishing association, and Dr. Hwang.  Many tourists from Taiwan
visit Palau, and many Taiwan based boats fish legally in Palau's
waters.

    Dr. Hwang said that this was his first time to attend such a
function.  During the reception President Remen Gesau specially
mentioned how the hospital had send a medical team to help the
women of Palau, and offered his nation's thanks.  Taiwan's
President Chen said that if Palau found itself in need of
medical, agricultural or transportation infrastructure aid, it could look
to Taiwan for help.

    Grassroots diplomacy, such as that conducted by the medical
team, is something that MacKay Hospital is happy to provide.  It
is in line with the spirit of the hospital's founder, the Rev. G.
L. Mackay, who arrived in Taiwan in 1872 and spent the rest of
his life here.  It also is one way of carrying out the mandate of
Jesus Christ to take the Gospel and the love of God to the very
ends of the earth.

    The main reason for sending an OBS/GYN team to Palau was
because the entire nation has only one specialist in the field,
who took leave to update skills in North America.  Dr. Hwang says
that for the hospital to send the team was only a small thing,
but it was a great help to Palau.  The positive impression of Taiwan
derived through this half year visit exceeded that generated by
a ten-year agricultural training project in the same country.  He
promises that when there is a need that the hospital can fulfill,
he and his staff are at the disposal of the Lord to go.

For More Information: mmhsuper@ms2.mmh.org.tw
                                    www.mmh.org.tw

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