During these days, the superintendent of St. Mary’s Hospital Sister Zheng and I have been talking about the future direction of the hospital development. She always lays stress on the special point: “We should serve the poor.” She says this is the core value of the hospital.
It is hard to imagine that when medical groups struggle for high efficiency and more interest, the hospital is still a “lag-behind/ out of date” medical unit. No wonder St. Mary’s Hospital is shy of money all the time.
St. Mary’s Hospital was set up in 1961. It was the first professional maternity hospital with the wards of 30 beds. And it developed to 70 beds. The highest record is that the doctors helped 130 women deliver babies. Over half of the children in Taitung district were born in the hospital. Up to the present time, every Wednesday and Friday the waiting rooms of Pediatric are crowded with children. Their parents bring them to the hospital for the prevention injection. The Taitung natives are used to recognizing St. Mary’s Hospital as a hospital that takes care of their health.
In 1986, St. Mary’s Hospital set up the “home nursing department.“ It offers professional service to the people in the remote districts. It covers far-away people in the islands of Orchid Island and Green Island off the coast. The late writer ,Echo chan, wrote of this in her book “the Song of Orchid Island.” To our surprise and unexpectedness, the hospital does not accept any extra traffic fare though the hospital loses money. The superintendent says the islanders have no money to see the doctors. There is no reason whatever to charge the islanders.
In 1990, St. Mary’s Hospital passed the evaluation to be a district hospital. The ward beds have to fit the standard of 100 beds. But it is obvious that the hospital could not keep up with the time. The doctors got old. The medical instruments were few and did not meet the desire. The hospital got lesser donation. The hospital could not meet both ends. National Health Insurance has been executed and ever since then people are exempted from lots of medical burden, but many poor people still can not afford to see the doctors for lack of money. St. Mary’s Hospital still offers them proper medical care whether the hospital makes money or loses money. The hospital is inefficient and does the business without making money.
Owing to the hospital‘s contribution spirit from 1990 to 2001, six doctors from St. Mary’s Hospital have been selected as winners of “Medical Contribution Medals” by Department of Health in appreciation of their contribution to downward districts. It is a great honor to the hospital. But from another point of view, it is a “Fool Prize.” Only fools are willing to stay in poor districts and do what wise people will not do. As a result, the hospital is too poor to pay the staff members. The 12th winner of Medical Contribution, Sister Matilde Sansolis Serneo, said to President Ma Yin-jeou, “Give me money. I do not need the medal.”
In 2003, St. Mary’s Hospital was forced to close the most famous maternity department. The hospital took it into consideration whether the hospital would close its business. Was there any need for the hospital to exist? If there was, now what did Taitung need? In consequence, St. Mary’s Hospital did not follow the rules and turned to the high-cost hospice care center. The superintendent said their confidence came from their belief and from the distinction of Taitung from other districts. The feeling and environment are more like a big home. The hospital staff members are more like friends. They are willing to spend time taking care of people who are afflicted with diseases. They do not only lay emphasis on ‘‘cure” but on “healing.”
The idea was supported and donated by many sponsors. In 2004, St. Mary’s Hospital became the first hospice care center in Taitung. And in the same year, the hospital was evaluated to be one of the good hospitals and the premium home nursing care in Taitung district. Even “the mother of hospice,” Dr Chantal chao, often praised the premium quality of St. Mary’s Hospital’s hospice department on some open occasions. The proportion of hospice to non-hospital home hospice added up to 1:8 and conformed to the world standard. St. Mary’s Hospital is the only hospital to live up to the recognized standard. In 2006, an international hospice conference was held in Korea. The members showed great respect to the great accomplishment of St. Mary’s Hospital with such a small scope and in lack of money.
But the point is that St. Mary’s Hospital has no money!
As for the X-Ray, other hospitals have already used electricity-powered X-Ray. But the hospital still uses the hand-operated X-Ray. What is ridiculous, the pedal is wooden board. Generally speaking, X-Ray is out of date. It has been used for ten years. But the hospital’s X-Ray is thirty years old. When the parts are broken, the supply company said the parts are no longer produced and thus are not available. We have to substitute the old X-Ray with a new one. The governmental departments concerned asked us to make improvement. But the problem is that we are shy of money every month. We can not afford to buy a brand-new X-Ray.
The mail is written with the hope that we can summon 220 people and every one donates ten thousand dollars. With the sum of money, St. Mary’s Hospital can afford to buy a new X-Ray and renovate the X-Ray room to fit the regulations. Your ten thousand dollars do a great help to your countrymen!
I’d like to be the first donator. We sincerely hope you will join us and send the mail on to every possible donator! (2007. 05.14)
P.S. Sister Rosalie Jeng acted as the superintendent of St. Mary’s Hospital for ten years. She left the office in 2009.
