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HOSPITAL AUTHORITY CONVENTION 2016 Corporate Scholarship Presentations
C3.5 Palliative Care 14:30 Room 428
Sharing on the Palliative Nurses Training Programme in Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital of Taiwan
Lam C
Department of Clinical Oncology, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong
During the four weeks’ overseas training programme in 2013, we looked into palliative care services in Buddhist Tzu Chi
General Hospital, Hualien, Taiwan. Tzu Chi values the practice of holistic medicine with humanity-orientated and life-
respecting ideas.
On government level, the Hospice and Palliative Care Act allowed citizens to sign “Do-not-resuscitation” (DNR) order and
such information can be accessed via the Health IC smart card. The National Health Insurance (NHI) had covered all medical
expenses for “terminally ill” patients since 2009.
“Life and death” education, “great body donation”, “organ donation” and “silent mentor” ideas were promoted through poster
and movie especially in public transport. According to Master Cheng Yen, “Life is unpredictable, when life turns to useless,
we should make good use of it so as to add value to the meaning of life.”
In Taiwan, some patients prefer to die at home. Hospice team assists transportation arrangement, daily home care service,
and medical service when necessary. Funeral home could provide 24 hours after-death services for patients expecting death
at home.
In Tzu Chi, it was impressive that volunteers provided warmth and tender service with care to patients. Based on the Buddhist
idea, providing voluntary service to the needy is indeed a blessing for givers and others.
Furthermore, Tzu Chi’s “Hospice Combined Care Programme” provides hospital-based palliative consultative service in
different units and “nurse practitioner” system helps to fill the gap of palliative service.
In this overseas training, we learnt the importance of “empathy and humanity.” At the same time, government supporting
policies, social education and community facilities are all essential elements in hospice and palliative care development.
Wednesday, 4 May
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