A new model for medical care
Victor Chao, who got his start with wooden furniture and who has worked for many years with major hospitality brands including InterContinental, Park Hyatt, and Disney, describes the initial motivation behind building the hospital. Originally planning to cross over into the hotel business, while applying for a license he was told by the local government that rather than a hotel for the rich, the local people had even greater need of a hospital.
It is not easy to obtain a license to open a hospital in Vietnam, and in fact both National Taiwan University and Chang Gung have tried and failed to get one. But Chao, with his deep roots in Vietnam, was able to get the land and license for a hospital thanks to the support of the local government. The hospital required an enormous capital investment of US$300 million, which Chao provided from his own funds. He has never made profit a priority there, saying: “I take from the local area, so I give back to the local area.” Gazing at the magnificent hospital exterior, he avers with satisfaction: “In the end, I think I didn’t disappoint them.”
The hospital first opened just as Covid-19 was spreading. We interviewed Peter Chang, former deputy chief administrator of the hospital, who was at his post at Shing Mark at the height of the pandemic and personally experienced this turbulent period.
Chang, a scholar of public health who during the SARS outbreak in Taiwan in 2003 communicated with the World Health Organization in his status as an advisor to the Department of Health, realized his dream of working overseas by taking up the job at Shing Mark in March of 2021.
After largely successful control in 2020, the pandemic exploded in Vietnam in May of 2021, causing alarm and indecision. The lives of people diagnosed with Covid-19 hung by a thread, and medical equipment, medications, and vaccines were all difficult to obtain. Taiwanese businesspeople united in mutual support and contributed whatever they could in terms of money and energy. As a major bastion of local healthcare, Shing Mark was given priority for pharmaceuticals like Remdesivir and vaccines made by Moderna and Pfizer, saving countless lives.
Talking about Covid-19, which has affected many more people than SARS did, Peter Chang reveals the dedication and kindness of the medical professionals involved. He later wrote a book about them in diary form, entitled Medical Stories from Vietnam. He notes: “I was really deeply touched at the time, so I decided to write it all down.”
Chang, who is now in charge of international healthcare at Chang Bing Show Chwan Memorial Hospital, still travels frequently to Vietnam mediating links between Taiwan and overseas. He says frankly that healthcare professionals from Taiwan are top-notch, so the industry should expand beyond its comfort zone and make international connections in order to enhance its competitiveness.
Transnational collaboration raises the standard of medical care in Vietnam and also provides impetus for advances in Taiwan’s healthcare. The establishment of Shing Mark Hospital has created a new model for the expansion of healthcare overseas. “It not only permits individual technical exchanges, it also facilitates the comprehensive and systematic transfer of professional knowledge,” concludes Chang.
To be sure, the strongest links between Taiwan and Vietnam are still economic. Taiwanese have come to Vietnam for business, and with agility and perseverance, have set down deep roots in the country. Nonetheless, the strength of economic ties has prompted linkages in other areas. All that is needed to make interactions between Taiwan and Vietnam even deeper and warmer is to continue to build the emotional connections between our two peoples.
Shing Mark chairman Victor Chao founded the Shing Mark Hospital, crossing over from the wooden furniture business into healthcare.
The spacious Shing Mark Hospital has the feel of a high-end hotel.
The atmosphere at this exam for nursing personnel is lively, demonstrating the vitality of Vietnam.
Peter Chang, former deputy chief administrator at Shing Mark Hospital, was in Vietnam during the most severe stages of its Covid-19 epidemic.