TAIPEI, Taiwan — A team from Mackay Memorial Hospital (MMH) is set to visit St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) early next week, as part of a renewed partnership with the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH).
On Thursday, Superintendent of MMH, Dr Wen-Han Chang, told the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Godwin Friday, that the hospital remains true to its founding principle of going where there is need.
Friday, leading a nine-member delegation on an official visit to Taiwan, visited MMH to meet its leadership as the government of SVG works to complete the new hospital in Arnos Vale.
Dr. Wade Tsai, director of the Hospital Affairs Management Department at MMH, noted to the prime minister that the MMH-MCMH partnership has existed for 10 years, during which Taiwan has had two presidents.
He said MMH looks forward to continuing this partnership with the new government in SVG, adding that MMH’s work is not influenced by politics but by its commitment to “go where there is need”.
Tsai, who is among the team arriving in Kingstown early next week, said the mission will focus on the Health Information System (HIS).
He noted MMH’s practical experience with HIS, adding that an engineer can design a system, but a nurse managing multiple patients at 3 a.m. determines its practicality.
Tsai said that MMH is ready to share its years of experience with MCMH to design a practical HIS for SVG.
Friday commended MMH for its work and contribution to healthcare in SVG, saying its overarching principle of going where there is need is commendable.
“We need more spirit, as you have shown here in Mackay Memorial Hospital, especially since in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, we have benefited directly and personally from that spirit; that you’ve come,” the prime minister said.
He said doctors care for patients and politicians aim to improve people’s lives; therefore, they are on a similar mission.
“We are now in the process of building a new modern hospital, which will require not just a beautiful big building, but we will require the skills, we will require the services, and we will require the kind of dedication to healing and making people better that you exemplify here at Mackay,” Friday said.
He continued:
“There’s a lot we can share between us, and a lot we can learn from you. I also invite you to continue the work you are doing.”
The prime minister said he was especially pleased with MMH’s work in diabetes management, adding that hypertension and diabetes are serious problems in SVG.
He said too many people in their productive years lose limbs because of diabetes, leaving them dependent.
The prime minister also noted MMH’s work in emergency care management.
He said that while people SVG also become ill with rare diseases that require specialised care, the small population makes it not cost-effective to maintain a system or facility to continuously cater to those needs.
The prime minister said SVG therefore needs specialists to visit the country from time to time.
“The continuing work that you do is deeply appreciated by the people of St Vincent and those who have benefited. For us, as the government, we want to extend our gratitude again for all that you do.”
Meanwhile, SVG’s Ambassador to Taiwan, Kenton X. Chance, thanked MMH on behalf of the SVG Embassy in Taiwan for the services it provides to Vincentians in Taiwan.
Chance said that MMH is often the go-to place for Vincentians in northern Taiwan when they need medical care.
He said he could vouch for the quality of the service, which he used several times while a student in Taiwan between 2006 and 2012, adding that he will also use the service when his next routine health check-up is due.