A workshop that needs a new master craftsman:
A certain woman who owns an orchard was bit on the behind by a wild boar. Dr. Dennis spent five or six hours to clean and sew up the wound. Later he asked the patient, "How's the boar these days?" She retorted, "Very tasty!" It turns out her husband captured and butchered the beast.
There was also the case of the person bitten by a shark who needed more than 300 stitches.
"In 30 years in Taitung I've never seen a single shooting victim, which is virtually impossible in the U.S.," says Dr. Dennis with a sense of relief.
Nevertheless, however interesting and invigorating it has all been, the 64-year-old is at the time when it is necessary to pass the baton along.
A poster recently printed up by Logefil has as its theme: "We need you to pick up the baton--Chinese Christians, where are you?" And after the line "Sources of manpower and funding in the year 2000," there is just a big question mark.
The reason is that beginning in 1989, the Department of Health stipulated that foreign doctors who come to Taiwan to practice medicine must pass a local examination. "In the past we could invite foreign doctors to make a contribution, but that's impossible now," states Dr. Dennis. Perhaps learning to speak Chinese isn't all that hard, but if you want someone to pass an exam in Chinese, that's not going to be easy.
Find me a Chinese Christian:
Since it's not easy to bring foreign doctors to Taiwan, the only hope is to attract local medicos. "We hope that all the medical staff in this hospital will be Christians in order to bring out the love inherent in Christianty, but there aren't so many Christian doctors in Taiwan, and even fewer are willing to go to Taitung," he says.
Last May, the first--and still only--Chinese Christian doctor, Henry Kuan, entered LMH. His enlistment and performance over the past year are praised endlessly by Dr. Dennis.
But LMH needs even more Chinese Christian doctors like Henry Kuan who are willing to voluntarily work for lower pay. How can more be attracted? Dr. Kuan feels that the primary requirement is to let people know "this type of hospital exists," and that "there is this kind of need." Recently the hospital received a letter from the Taipei Medical College expressing interest in doing an internship, which is a good start.
Changes in the medical regulations created a shortage of personnel for Logefil. But it has been Taiwan's rapid economic growth that has caused a decline in that hospital's funding.
Funding has always depended on the Christian church in the U.S., and both the original construction and the expansion in 1980 were paid for by funds raised personally by Dr. Dennis on trips back to the States. Even the salaries of the missionary doctors have been donated by American Christian churches rather than being sustained by the hospital.
Taiwan's recent economic growth and foreign exchange reserves have given people the impression Taiwan is "quite well off," and so contributions from abroad have fallen correspondingly. Dr. Dennis says frankly that, "Right now the American economy is having problems. If you want people to donate for the poor in Africa, they are happy to. But to give money for a hospital in Taiwan? Even I'm embarrassed to ask."
The end is near?
Some people note that religious medical centers, not only Logefil but also including the Changhua Christian Hospital, the Luotung Catholic St. Mary's Hospital, and so on, are all facing a transformative challenge. In the past these hospitals all focussed on providing services, not on management of the enterprise. Today, in a different environment, should they "make a graceful exit now that their work is done"?
LMH administrator Lin Hsiang-ming doesn't care too much for this idea. "Society progresses, but the spirit of giving declines. Is that real progress?" He argues that Logefil's responsibilities haven't been completed, and "some of the things we do can't be replaced by other institutions." He states that this is the only hospital willing to patiently do "mending." That is, a lot of hospitals look at cases like they are repairing watches, so that when fixing something seems too troublesome they just tell the patient to forget it and get a new one!
Dr. Kuan states, on the other hand, that taking the perspective of the hospital, he by no means opposes larger hospitals replacing Logefil. But he believes that care of human beings means not just treatment of the body, but also of the spirit. Only a hospital which is steeped in "love" can provide complete care for people.
So how can the hospital keep going?
Right now they are trying to strengthen the hospital's organizational management to upgrade the unit and maintain this "workshop of God."
Maintaining the workshop of God:
Three years ago LMH began a dual director system. They invited Bruce Bredeson, who has an MA in hospital management, to serve as the administrative director.
Bredeson states that although the financial structure is not yet fully sound, there is already a surplus, and performance has been constantly improving. "We established a mission group to tell the Taiwan churches what we are doing," says Bredeson. Although the numbers are still small, some Taiwan churches already make fixed periodic donations to the hospital.
Lin Hsiang-ming, the first Chinese to enter the ranks of management, is insisting that this hospital that in the past has only known how to survive on contributions must adopt a cost and investment viewpoint. Although some of the missionary doctors are not too thrilled, Lin argues that there is no other road but "business-like rationalization."
"When three years ago the branch of the Mackay Memorial Hospital was opened, business plummeted at LMH, because everyone ran over to enjoy the air conditioning at Mackay," says Lin. When Logefil added air conditioning to the first floor clinic and replaced its old wooden door with an automatic glass one, the patients returned. According to Bredeson's calculations, the case load has increased 50% over two years ago.
"I hope that in the next three to five years we can develop into a 100-bed teaching hospital; only then will medical personnel be willing to come here," he says, outlining his ambitious blueprint.
Although it is already fixed policy that in the future there will be "Taiwanization" as Chinese take over, Lin does not wish that the foreign missionary doctors all leave. "They are spiritual symbols, and can constantly remind us of the spirit of this institution," he says.
Hopes that the spirit will linger:
The Logefil Memorial Hospital is facing a transition period, and its director Frank Dennis is facing imminent retirement. "My mother is already 88, and has been hoping that I will go back to the United States to spend some time with her," says Dr. Dennis.
Many people are sorry that Taitung will lose this medicine man, but there are many newborns in Taitung named after him (using his Chinese name of Wei-yi or his Ami name of Ngangis), who are growing up day by day. Perhaps in the future Dr. Dennis' spirit of giving will survive and grow in these children.
[Picture Caption]
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Dr. Frank Dennis is the founder of the Logefil Memorial Hospital in Taitung. A specialist in surgery and osteopathy, he is "not satisfied" if even a single day goes by without seeing a patient.
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The injury victim in the picture had his leg fractured in 15 places, and was told at another hospital it would have to be amputated. Dr. Dennis figured a way to repair it.
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(Left, right) The Logefil Memorial Hospital, established in 1989, doesn't look like much from the outside. But the achievements of its staff are something ordinary hospitals cannot even dream of.
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Dr. Dennis has endless praise for Taiwan's undersea world. In fact, the sea is the only place he can really relax.
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His five children are all grown and are spread out all over the world. Relying on each other, the husband and wife get closer as they get older.
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Chinese Christians, where are you? Logefil needs more people to enter its ranks.