The Tzu Chi Hualien Hospital’s training programs under Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy have significantly bolstered Filipino medical expertise, particularly in transplant procedures, despite challenges like high costs and limited local resources. The recent Taiwan-Philippines Advanced Medical Forum underscored the importance of these collaborations, showcasing how shared knowledge and technology are transforming healthcare and inspiring hope for many.
Medical cooperation with Taiwan enhances transplant care in the Philippines
The Tzu Chi Hualien Hospital’s training programs under Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy have significantly bolstered Filipino medical expertise, particularly in transplant procedures, despite challenges like high costs and limited local resources. The recent Taiwan-Philippines Advanced Medical Forum underscored the importance of these collaborations, showcasing how shared knowledge and technology are transforming healthcare and inspiring hope for many.
Six years since the Tzu Chi Hualien Hospital International Medical Center began offering professional training programs for Filipino doctors under the Taiwan government’s New Southbound Program, Philippine-based surgeons are reporting increased confidence in performing transplant procedures, leading to improved patient outcomes.
Dr. Alma Reyes Calavera, during her lecture at the Taiwan-Philippines Advanced Medical Forum on August 16, cited data from the Philippine Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (PSBMT), which showed a steady increase in haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplant cases in the country since 2018. A haploidentical transplant uses healthy, blood-forming cells from a half-matched donor (usually a family member) to replace the unhealthy ones. In the Philippines, where an unrelated bone marrow donor registry is yet to be established, a haploidentical transplant is among the latest procedures available to treat certain types of cancer and blood-related diseases.
At The Medical City alone, where Dr. Calavera heads the Bone Marrow Transplant Program, nearly a hundred cases have already been performed. While many factors have contributed to this development, Dr. Calavera noted that Tzu Chi Hualien Hospital has had an undeniable impact on their transplant program. “For over several years, Dr. Chi-Cheng Li has been helping us train our transplant specialists. For difficult cases, we usually call him to mentor us,” Dr. Calavera said.
Dr. Li is the Director of Tzu Chi Hualien Hospital’s Center of Stem Cell & Precision Medicine.
Additionally, as most of the medications for the cases they handle are locally unavailable, Dr. Calavera mentioned that they often call Tzu Chi Hualien Hospital to check availability and procure the medicines at the patient’s expense.
Despite these developments, however, stem cell and bone marrow transplants remain limited in patient reach due to their high cost and the country’s restrictions on the bone marrow donation program. Local doctors are now lobbying for national insurance coverage for this treatment, especially for poor and vulnerable patients, as well as advocating for the establishment of an unrelated bone marrow donor registry in the country.
It will take a while to see the results of such measures. Hence, local doctors appreciate that more equipped institutions from a developed country, like Tzu Chi Hualien Hospital, are graciously guiding them in the meantime to save as many lives as possible.
“We will not progress if we do not have these international collaborations and the generosity and kindness of people like them who are very willing to accommodate us,” said Dr. Lynn Bonifacio, an Adult Hematologist and Blood and Marrow Transplant Specialist from the National Kidney and Transplant Institute.
“Our introduction to the technology and experience they offer is very important because for those whom we sent for training when they come back, they will form the new generation of specialists who will help foster the younger generation in learning. More transplant doctors mean more access for patients to this treatment,” Dr. Bonifacio added.
Dr. Alma Reyes Calavera answered a question from the audience after her talk on Haploidentical Hematopoeitic Stem Cell Transplantation in the Philippines. (Photo courtesy: Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Philippines)
Dr. Lynn Bonifacio, an Adult Hematologist and Blood and Marrow Transplant Specialist from the National Kidney and Transplant Institute, expressed gratitude to Tzu Chi Hualien Hospital for generously sharing their knowledge with the Filipino transplant specialists. (Photo courtesy: Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Philippines)
Dr. Chi-Cheng Li shares about Haploidentical Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation practices in Taiwan. (Photo courtesy: Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Philippines)
Meanwhile, Tzu Chi Hualien Hospital’s Dr. Li praised the Filipino surgeons who demonstrated determination to help their patients despite the odds.
“Performing transplants is not easy for a developing country because it is very costly and requires a team with knowledge of the latest technologies. However, in the past several years, many of the younger generation doctors have been very smart, very bright, and have worked hard with me in Taiwan. They stay for several months or even two years to learn a great deal of knowledge and skills and then bring it back to the Philippines to perform very successful transplants. I congratulate them,” Dr. Li said.
The efforts of these local transplant specialists paid off when they saw their patients recovering well after rescuing them from the brink of death. “I have a patient who just visited me last week. We did a transplant on him, and now he has graduated and is a dentist,” Dr. Calavera shared. “Another post-transplant patient was able to fulfill her dream of becoming a lawyer. Those kinds of things really fill the heart.”
Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines Representative Mr. Wallace M.G. Chow underscores how the medical forum represents the strong and growing ties between Taiwan and the Philippines which share the same goal of advancing health care and improving the lives of their people. (Photo courtesy: Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Philippines)
Cardinal Santos Medical Center Chief Medical Officer and Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Philippines President Dr. Antonio Say thanks Taiwan and Tzu Chi Hualien Hospital for sharing their expertise with Filipino doctors. He also lauds the hard work and dedication of Filipino physicians to learn and improve their skills to benefit patients. (Photo courtesy: Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Philippines)
Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital’s Cancer Medical Center Director Dr. Ren-Jun Hsu discusses the use of artificial intelligence and silicon chips for cancer cell detection through liquid biopsy. (Photo courtesy: Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Philippines)
The Advanced Medical Forum drew nearly 50 medical professionals and healthcare workers from the Philippines and Taiwan. (Photo courtesy: Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Philippines)
Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital’s Breast Center Director Dr. Chun-Ming Chang shares how they pioneered studies in integrating Western precision medicine with Traditional Chinese Medicine for breast cancer treatment. (Photo courtesy: Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Philippines)
Chinese General Hospital’s Dr. Christian Daniel Ang accommodates a question from the audience after his talk on the Breast Cancer trends in the Philippines. (Photo courtesy: Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Philippines)
Cardinal Santos Medical Center’s orbit specialist and pathologist Dr. Alex Sua explains the evolution of the pathologist’s approach and diagnostic techniques to accurately diagnose ocular tumors. (Photo courtesy: Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Philippines)
Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital’s Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Dr. Shang-Hsien Yang explains the telomere dynamics in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. According to studies, longer telomere length from a donor is associated with longer survival and lower risk for all cause of mortality after unrelated hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. (Photo courtesy: Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Philippines)
Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Philippines CEO Alfredo Li expresses his hope to gather more participants and to discuss more interesting topics in future medical forums to further enhance doctors’ skills and knowledge. (Photo courtesy: Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Philippines)
The recent Advanced Medical Forum, held at the Tzu Chi Eye Center in Sta. Mesa, Manila, was an annual symposium organized by the Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital under the New Southbound Policy Medical and Public Health Cooperation Program. This year’s conference was attended by nearly 50 medical professionals and healthcare workers. Leading experts from both countries shared groundbreaking research and clinical insights on topics such as the use of artificial intelligence and silicon chips for cancer cell detection, telomere biology, breast medicine, haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and the use of biomarkers in diagnosing ocular tumors.
Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines Representative Mr. Wallace M.G. Chow said the annual forum bolsters healthcare and medical cooperation between Taiwan and the Philippines. “We want to share our latest technology with our Filipino friends. The Philippines is the closest neighbor to Taiwan, and we are natural partners and neighbors, so we should work together. We are like brothers and sisters,” Representative Chow added.
Dr. Marjorie Uy, a pathologist from Davao City, flew to Manila to attend the conference. Beyond the latest technologies and practices, it was the dedicated efforts of her colleagues that struck her the most. “We can really feel it in our region — the gap in breast cancer diagnosis is late because many patients cannot afford to seek medical attention in our area,” Dr. Uy said. “It drives us to help further, especially since I work at a tertiary hospital.”
For six years now, the Taiwan-Philippines cooperation not only help equip Filipino doctors with the skills to bridge gaps in medical care but also inspire a shared commitment to addressing healthcare disparities; thereby, creating doors of opportunities and ultimately, hope for patients.
Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital’s Dr. Chi-Cheng Li (third from left) takes a souvenir photo with some of the local doctors with whom he had been sharing his knowledge and expertise in stem cell and bone marrow transplant. (Photo courtesy: Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Philippines)
Dr. Alma Reyes Calavera asks Dr. Chi-Cheng Li for advice on a case. The Taiwan-based doctor has been a mentor to several Filipino transplant specialists for years now. (Photo courtesy: Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Philippines)
During breaks, forum participants try out some of Taiwan’s new medical and healthcare innovations. (Photo courtesy: Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Philippines)