News about Medicine

Dave Puno was picking leaves from a malunggay tree at the back of his family’s home in Caloocan, when the riprap he was standing on suddenly collapsed. “I should have been dead,” he says, “because I nearly landed on my head.” Instead, he fell on his left arm, breaking it and his lower right foot in the process. Puno has been on a wait list for surgery for four months and counting.

The Tzu Chi International Medical Association (TIMA) was founded in 1998 to provide the poor with relief and compassion through expert medical treatment and services. As of 2017, TIMA has 12 mission teams in Taiwan, as well as chapters in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Paraguay, Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina. Globally, over 16,000 medical professionals have volunteered their time and expertise to treating millions of sick people, many of who have never visited a hospital or seen a doctor before.

In March 2020, when the number of cases and deaths due to COVID-19 was beginning to rise, Josefino “Joe” Qua, oncological surgeon and one of the founding members of the Tzu Chi International Medical Association (TIMA), was on the road, distributing donated face masks and personal protective equipment to hospitals around the metro. Occasionally, he was accompanied by a Tzu Chi volunteer, but for the most part, Dr. Qua preferred to do it alone because he didn’t want to risk exposing others to the potentially fatal virus.

As the Tzu Chi Foundation’s vaccination program continues to help vaccinate thousands of people, Tzu Chi International Medical Association (TIMA), together with Tzu Chi volunteers are helping in the effort to vaccinate both Filipinos and foreign nationals. Several TIMA doctors graciously volunteered their time and knowledge to oversee post-vaccination, taking blood pressure, and provide medical advice.

As of July 9, a total of 2,801 private citizens received the first of two Sinovac doses offered in a vaccination rollout organized jointly by the Tzu Chi Foundation, Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII), the Department of Health, MedGrocer, and other government agencies. The program, which began on July 5, runs till July 17 at the Jing Si Auditorium of Buddhist Tzu Chi Campus (BTCC) in Sta. Mesa, Manila.

In cooperation with the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII), the Department of Health and other government agencies, the Buddhist Tzu Chi Campus (BTCC) in Sta. Mesa, Manila welcomed private citizens who registered with FFCCCII for Sinovac vaccination from July 5 to 17.

With many Filipino citizens getting their Covid-19 vaccines every day, through the support of their local governments, foreigners who are studying and working in the Philippines are not prioritised and, therefore, have to wait longer to get their vaccines or pay to be vaccinated earlier.

In support of government’s efforts to protect Filipinos against the potentially fatal COVID-19, Tzu Chi Foundation, in cooperation with the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII), the Department of Health, MedGrocer, and other government agencies, organized a vaccination rollout for private citizens from July 5 to 17 at the Jing Si Auditorium of Buddhist Tzu Chi Campus (BTCC) in Sta. Mesa, Manila.

In the Philippines, Tzu Chi's Free Eye Clinic has brought hope to many impoverished families. Besides bringing gifts for the doctors, the patients also brought back filled bamboo coin banks to reciprocate, passing down this love to others.

Tzu Chi Eye Center in Manila, Philippines, serves hundreds of patients per week, providing medical assistance to patients with eye diseases. A public school teacher was affected by cataracts, almost causing her to go blind. Following surgery at Tzu Chi Eye Center, Hazel regains her vision once again.