I thank God for His grace, that 8 years ago I was given the honor to come to Sin-Lau Hospital, Taiwan’s first western medicine hospital, and start a medical-missionary work. Time really flies, the past eight years, I can still recall vividly, bit by bit, the hard work and passing on the responsibility, leaving the fruits of our labor and the scenes of our memories.
Not long after I took office, I went to every corner and facility of the hospital and did some observation, visited every department, talked to and interviewed employees, understanding the situation and listened to comments and recommendations. I repeatedly thought of the Church-hospital’s mission and directive, and firmly believe that “with the strength and ability given to me, I can accomplish all things”. Setting up the hospital’s concepts, objectives, and visions, in various methods of advocacy and communication, condensing the recognition and consensus of the workers, and inviting everyone to help in implementation.
In the past 8 years, the structural and hardware renovation included Tainan District’s Out-Patient Department, Hospital Wards, Laboratories, Offices, and Ma-Dou District’s Hospital Wards, everything took a new look. Updating and purchasing precious and quality equipments and instruments to meet the needs of clinical diagnosis and treatment, it can attain the standard and level of a Regional Hospital. They include both hospital’s Computed Tomography Scans and Magnetic Resonance Imagings, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, Echogram Room, Endoscopy Room, and Laser Instruments.
And also through everybody’s concentric efforts, in 2009 Ma-Dou District hospital branch, successfully passed the government’s accreditation from a District hospital to a Regional Teaching Hospital with excellent awards up to the present. Our Tainan District hospital also has since passed with excellent record the accreditation for a Regional Teaching Hospital.
Our performance has stable growth of more than 20%, patient number and related services have also improved, and most commendable is, our quality of service has been affirmed. In these past 8 years, we insisted on our belief that “forget what is behind us, make efforts on what is ahead of us, and run straight towards the goal”, included is Family Medicine’s expansion towards Community Medicine, strengthening community service’s scope and quality of activity; Ma-dou District hospital establishment of a Cardiac Catheterization Room, not only benefitted our cardiovascular disease patients, it also makes Emergency Department’s follow-up medical service more complete. Both hospital’s integration and full automation equipment, became Tainan City’s first high quality automated examination facility. We are caring for our employees and also taking care of under-privileged people, promote workers’ benefit, establish various friends of hospital patient’s group, a patient joy choir, making Sin-Lau Hospital a patient-trusted, employee-centered family.
Because of the trend of elderly and disabled population, in 2011, we began planning an establishment of a Nursing Home, in combination with the hospital’s construction to improve quality of the health care system, through our hospital’s expansion planning group, including the Superintendent’s Office, Medical Services Section, Nursing Department, Medical Affairs Section, General Service Office, Utility Department, General Affairs Section, Nutrition Department, Security Department, Planning Room, Information Room, Infection Control Office, and the Chaplain’s Office, diligently gather information, learn benchmarking, often discussing plans with JJ Pan Architects Planners and the Formosa Builders group. Formosa builders were responsible for the construction of hardware engineering, with the love and support of Chairman of Board of Directors Dr. Guo Bei-Hong, contributed to the total project cost of NT$480 Million to complete the construction. More praiseworthy is the Formosa Builders being awarded the gold medal for the 17th National Building Competition.
On June 16, 2015, Sin-Lau Hospital, on its 150th anniversary celebration, inaugurated with a thanksgiving worship the Maxwell Memorial Building and Elizabeth Ferguson Memorial Chapel. Service operations began on July 7 of the same year. With the cooperation of the school, we recruited young, energetic, and dedicated nursing aides to join our team, making the service quality and hardware environment highly commendable.
Special thanks to the staff of various hospital departments, over the years with me, with the spirit of selfless contribution, walking the extra mile, starting from scratch, tall buildings rising, setting up quality, regarded as a benchmarking-model for long-term nursing home care – Sin-Lau Ma-Dou Nursing Home. In the future, the 4,000 hectare land beside Ma-dou Hospital, will be an opportunity for a quality and scope long-term care facility.
My heart is full of gratitude, appreciation and indebtedness. Thanks to the grace of God, thanks to all fellow partners in 8 years with me, your efforts, selfless sacrifice, conversations, interactions, will remain in my memory. My wife, teacher Juliana Wu’s duty as an artistic inspector of the hospital, one after another, renovated and decorated Maxwell Memorial Building’s interior design and art, professional color plan and matching, showing overall visual aesthetic and comfort. In addition, providing her own individual works as decorations for the ward. The support and assistance inside and out for the past 8 years, made me feel warm and welcome with no worries.
May God be with you all, and bless Sin-Lau Hospital with continuous and sustainable development.
