Event Date: September 12, 2003

TIMA Annual Conference - Master Cheng Yen Addresses Medical Professionals from Around the World

TIMA's annual medical conference was held on September 12, 2003 in Taiwan. At the conference, each TIMA branch reported the progress of their free clinics and shared their various experiences with medical professionals from other countries. Attendants also had a chance to meet with Dharma Master Cheng Yen and were given a chance to express their appreciation toward the Master while also sharing their questions and ideas.

Presenters from various programs shared the successes with the attendees. These included the Hua-Lien Kuang-Shen mobile hospital, USA Great Love Mobile Clinic, Strait of Malacca Free Clinic, Philippines Free Clinic, Penang Kidney Dialysis Center, Indonesia Free Clinic, and Taiwan Network Diagnosis. Representatives from each county also reported their progress through powerpoint presentations which helped to facilitate learning and grown between participants.

Philippine began it's free clinics in 1995, holding over forty-three clinics since that time. The services include ophthalmology, dental services, and therapy for harelip and thyroid gland diseases. In addition to periodic free clinic outreach events, doctors from TIMA also give out free medication at the Chung-Ren Hospital in Manila every week. The successful case of the separation of the Filipino siamese twins by TIMA in the Philippines has drawn much more local attention and participation to the free clinics than ever before. At present, volunteers are encouraging local business leaders to aid TIMA in providing even better services to their communities.

Penang Renal Dialysis Center established its home-care ward last June to implement a holistic care philosophy. Penang representative Dr. Li He-Ching introduced the story of a 15 year old bone cancer patient who recently survived his cancer with the support of TIMA members. Another Malaysian cancer patient accompanied the TIMA team to visit Dharma Master Cheng Yen in Taiwan in order to express her appreciation for the long-term care that TIMA has provided her.

After last years flood in Jakarta, local Tzu Chi volunteers traveled to the Red Riverbank area to help residents rebuild their homes. Meanwhile, TIMA members from five different counties sponsored a large-scale free clinic outreach to the area as well. In November of 2002, the Indonesia branch of TIMA was officially founded. About 47,000 people in Jakarta have benefited from free clinic services since 1999, even before TIMA had been officially established in the area. Recently, TIMA activities have been drawing larger and larger crowds of both participants and volunteers irregardless of religion.

Brother Lo Ming-Hsien, a representative of Taiwan TIMA, shared cases of 'House Calls' where doctors have provided in-home care for those patients who are unable to go to the clinic for treatment. Through a viewing of a short film documenting these house calls, many doctors were even more touched by the actions of Tzu Chi volunteers.

Representatives from many countries also shared their thoughts and feelings with the crowd. Volunteer Lin Mei-Yueh from Phoenix, Arizona, USA introduced a doctor who not only wants to participate in free clinics, but also joins in funeral chanting for the departed and grief support for the families when needed. He is indeed a doctor able to serve the people with humility and modesty.

Tsai Yu-Yun, a representative from the Dominican Republic, said TIMA USA led their free clinics at first. However, later, they developed medium and small-scale free clinic services on their own. They perform community service in accordance with the teachings of Dharma Master Cheng Yen: "Utilizing what is available, plant the seeds deep enough so that they may take root." Though the Dominican TIMA group severely lacks doctors, volunteers and other resources, they still continue to provide care for the many patients that are in need.

Singapore doctor Lin Shen-Yao, who is also a cancer patient, shared his thoughts and expressed his appreciation towards Master Cheng Yen and the Tzu Chi Great Love spirit. He expects to lead more Singaporeans to participate in free clinic services, to establish emergency support centers, and to teach the community more preventative health measures. He share with the crowd that thinking of Master Cheng Yen helps him remember to take good care of his body so that he may help others.

After listening to the various presentations, Dharma Master Cheng Yen applauded the efforts of TIMA members worldwide for their dedication to medical charity regardless of religion, race, and geography. Master Cheng Yen also further complimented the doctors for their humility while providing their services. Master Cheng Yen expects every Tzu Chi member to provide services modestly, never expecting anything in return, and to always learn from our experiences.

"As shadow hides behind light; the poor exist in rich countries" said Dharma Master Cheng Yen. "We need to increase our pace in order to provide more mobile medical services to disadvantaged areas around the world."