On April 14 this year, when a bank manager was critically wounded during the only bank hold-up in Taiwan's history, he was "lucky" in a sense because the bank was close to a large hospital manned by surgeons who are trained to deal with emergencies.
The manager was driven to the Tri-Service General Hospital and surgery began just 10 minutes after the accident. Three days after an operation to remove a revolver bullet from his chest, and a transfusion of 15,254 c.c. of blood, he was able to take liquid food.
The Tri-Service General Hospital is the largest military hospital in the Republic of China and one of the leading teaching hospitals on Taiwan. Its staff of 1,757 includes 342 doctors, 523 nurses, 20 research workers, 16 pharmacists and 78 technicians.
With 1,050 beds, the hospital serves civilians as well as military men and their dependents. It has a daily total of 1,100 out-patient visits, and conducted more than 16,000 operations last year.
The nurses' department is the largest in the hospital. In 1979, it initiated an ambitious "one-nurse-per-patient" system, but this has proved difficult to implement because of the growing number of people who seek treatment at the hospital as its fame has spread.
Another feature of the hospital is a "consultant system," under each patient is assigned a consultant, who liaises between him and the hospital. Whenever the patient has a problem, it is submitted immediately to the appropriate department for solution. The consultant also provides comfort to lonely or anxious patients.
Every other month, the hospital's superintendent calls a meeting participated in by patients' representatives, department chiefs and related personnel to sound out the views of patients on the hospital administration.
The hospital holds two mobilization exercises each year to prepare doctors and nurses for emergencies and to cultivate their esprit de corps. It was partly due to this training that the bank manager's life was saved. Sung Pi-kun, chief of the therapy department, said "As well as being doctors and nurses, we are, through our training, out-and-out soldiers ready to take immediate action."
Besides providing medical treatment and therapy, the Tri-service General Hospital is a center of medical research and development. It has 15 research organizations, including those for anti-cancer study and nuclear medicine.
The anti-cancer organization is headed by a U.S.-trained Ph.D, Yeh Ming-yang, who currently is studying diagnosis and treatment for cervical cancer. A special project of the organization is the study of using Chinese herb medicines to treat cancer.
Mice reared in a germ-free environment have cancer cells transplanted and then the effects of different herb medicines are observed. Research workers have found that out of 1,500 herbs tested, about 50 have anti-cancer qualities.
At first, the hospital came directly under the Ministry of National Defense. On August 1,1979, it was attached to the national Defense Medical Center, cradle of military doctors, which increased its importance as a teaching unit. Its connection with the center is so close that the hospital superintendent serves concurrently as deputy superintendent of the center, and all major medical personnel in the hospital have teaching duties. Each senior doctor has four or five interns under his control.
According to Dr. Sung Pi-kun, the interns have adequate opportunities to learn clinical lessons. They follow senior doctors and departmental chiefs during ward calls and operations. Each week there is an average of 94 discussions. The hospital's library is stocked with more than 7,000 medical books and 196 medical journals.
To keep abreast with advanced nations in medical standards, the hospital each year sends outstanding young doctors to the U.S., Europe and Japan for training. At present, 21 are still studying abroad. The hospital also invites foreign professors to give lectures, six of them coming this year and arrangements for another seven still being made. These professors and returning young doctors have brought high academic and professional standards to the hospital.
Dr. Wei Cheng, a cardiologist, has just returned from the United States after taking two years to obtain his doctorate at Columbia University. Before leaving Taiwan, the 32-year-old doctor was a resident heart surgeon at the hospital. He said: "During my studies at the National Medical Center and my service at the hospital, the country provided me with very good care and education. I am grateful that I could obtain my doctorate, since it will enable me to contribute more. I am glad to learn that the hospital has begun a huge expansion program. In a few years, we shall have the most modern wards and operating rooms. At present, we can set aside only two and a half days for heart surgery, but after the expansion, we shall be able to undertake two to four operations a day simultaneously. The hospital has ordered the latest equipment, and an increasing number of cardiologists is being sent abroad, for training. I can see a bright future ahead."
The hospital has a US$2 million procurement plan, under which most of the equipment ordered has arrived and been installed. A computerized brain scanner has cost more than US$1 million. Next year, the hospital will launch a US$20 million renewal plan, which will include complete computerization.
[Picture Caption]
1. Entrance to the Tri-service General Hospital. 2. Research Building. 3. Patients doing morning exercise in the hospital's garden. 4. Therapy for eye diseases involving the use of a laser. 5. The most advanced computerized scanner used in physical check-ups. 6. Electron microscope used for examinations.
1. The dentistry department. 2. Newly-designed pull-cart to distribute drugs to the bedside of each patient. 3. Computerized out-patient registration. 4. Blood analysis is fully automated.
Top: Wei Cheng, 32, a U.S.-trained cardiologist serves as acting chief of the cardiovascular department. Below: Teaching under way in the department of thoracic medicine.
Patients doing morning exercise in the hospital's garden.
Therapy for eye diseases involving the use of a laser.
The most advanced computerized scanner used in physical check-ups.
Electron microscope used for examinations.
The dentistry department.
Newly-designed pull-cart to distribute drugs to the bedside of each patient.
Computerized out-patient registration.
Blood analysis is fully automated.
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