Page 54 - Tzu Chi Q&A_First Edition
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Medicine 3-2
How many hospitals does Tzu Chi have in
3-1 Taiwan?
How did Tzu Chi start its medical mission? All around Taiwan, Tzu Chi has set up six hospitals in
Guanshan, Yuli, Hualien, Taipei, Taichung, and Dalin.
When visiting the poor in Tzu Chi’s early years,
Master Cheng Yen came to realize that many peo-
ple became poor due to illness or vice versa, so she
concluded that, to end poverty, illness needed to be
taken care of first. Therefore, in 1972, Tzu Chi set up
a free clinic in Hualien to provide medical services
to the poor twice a week. The free clinic remained in
service until the first Tzu Chi Hospital opened in 1986.
3-3
What is the primary value of Tzu Chi hospitals?
Tzu Chi hospitals value humane, whole-person care.
Apart from providing integrated medical services,
they also strive to care for patients with love and
respect while also supporting their emotional and
spiritual needs so as to inspire hope in them and en-
Master Cheng Yen started Tzu Chi’s mission of medicine to relieve hance their lives.
the suffering of the ill. (Tzu Chi Foundation)
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