News Room

With the arrival of June, it has been a month and a half since I first stationed in Palau this year to provide foreign medical aid. As I said goodbye to the dry weather that I grew fond of this island nation, I have soon become accustomed to the rainy season with frequent showers for days at the end. Legend has it that Palau is where the rainbow ends, and the recent weather has certainly helped reinforce the nature of this alluring folklore, producing beautiful rainbows perfectly arched across the sky.
And the rainbows always remind me of Donny, a five-year-old boy from Palau with a million-dollar smile. Donny and I first crossed path when he came to Taiwan for surgery a year ago, and I could still vividly remember him lying in the hospital bed with the word pain written all over his innocent face. Fast forward a year, I met Donny again in Palau. He was already able to run, squat and jump on my lap playfully. I remember saying to myself, “This is how the life of a 5-year-old boy should have been!”
Practicing medicine in Palau certainly has its own unique challenges. It is not so much about the lack of medical resources, but about the uneven distribution of available physicians across medical specialties. There are several highly respected doctors who are dedicated to serve in Palau, however, they are mostly confined to local clinics with doctor-to-patient ratio lower than WHO recommended. Patients with more serious medical conditions would need to be referred to the Belau National Hospital, where it often lacks specialist treatment. If encountered more serious trauma, fracture or nerve injury, immediate care often cannot be provided. In terms of resources, while there are donations, medical teams and equipment coming from the United States from time to time, it is not enough to alleviate the lack of medical specialists and supplies on an ongoing basis. It is sobering to learn that the so-called “treasure room”, which is full of unused specialized medical equipment, is where the freshly arrived physicians can pick up medical supplies due to the lack of medical professionals being qualified to use them when needed. When a well-established operation went haywire as the operating room team struggled to locate the tools and parts needed from a pile of advanced U.S. medical supplies, it made me contemplate the challenges and opportunities lie ahead here in Palau.
There are many family doctors and internal medicine doctors in Palau, but there is a lack of specialist physicians. In addition to the shortage of specialized medical personnel and supplies, there is also a great need for integrated teamwork. I have the utmost respect for Dr. Huang, who has dedicated himself to improve these medical challenges here in Palau, because of his cross-team collaboration with Taiwan, helping the improvement in medical education and technical skills of the Palauan medical personnel. The medical challenges here in Palau are even more apparent when it comes to orthopedic treatments, especially for patients with trauma and chronic degeneration. In addition to outpatient clinics, there are more trauma patients than usual due to the annual local sports event called the "Belau Game". During the event, I had six patients with fractures of the palm, four of the forearm, three of the lower limb, and two with tendon ruptures. For fractures, we often say "early fixation and early rehabilitation", and it was quite fortunate that our medical team was available for early treatments and timely surgeries. Difficult and challenging as it may be, there is nothing more satisfying than witnessing my patients’ full recovery from injuries and being able to fully resume their normal routines.
Just as viruses do not choose their targets and time to strike, the ongoing need of medical services do not change whether foreign aids are provided or not. A Palauan emergency doctor once joked, “Perhaps our people intentionally get hurt while you are here to ensure they receive the best treatments?” I responded, “If I have the power to choose, I hope everyone to be safe at all times, regardless of whether we are here or not.”
Before our departure from Palau, Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr. and officials of the Ministry of Health took time out of their busy schedules to host a farewell banquet for us. President Surangel Whipps Jr. is a charismatic and magnanimous leader who shows genuine interest in various subjects. Even when I was late for the farewell banquet due to an operation, President Surangel Whipps Jr. still took time to have a dedicated one-on-one conversation with me, and listened enthusiastically as I shared insights on numerous medical subjects, such as hand surgery, the clinical significance of tendon, and the importance of rehabilitation. For me, this shows how Palau is blessed with a leader who is passionate in improving medical treatments for his people.
I would like to give special thanks to the government and Ministry of Health of Palau. Without their generosity and support, it would be extremely difficult for a foreigner like me to complete my mission and serve my patients. I would also like to thank the nurses and physicians who worked hard to keep the clinic, wards and operating room running. It is through such collaborative effort that we were able to overcome numerous challenges to complete the difficult tasks at hand. Thanks to the chief and colleagues of Shin Kong Hospital for their full support of this mission. Last but not least, a big thank you to my friends and relatives in Taiwan for all the emotional support. I also hope that everyone in Taiwan is sound and safe. As we continue our mission abroad to serve the ones in need, blessings and supports from home are always what energize us to keep us going. Once again, thank you everyone and stay safe.