Hospital provides care to rural Hualien for 77 years running

Hospital provides care to rural Hualien for 77 years running

2025-10-10

In the vast rural stretches of Hualien and Taitung, it often takes families considerable time and resources to seek medical care. But for 77 years now, Mennonite Christian Hospital in Hualien has covered more than 30 million kilometers to provide amputees with better fitting prosthetics, seniors with breathing tubes, children with treatment for developmental delays, and more. Guided by a philosophy of never giving up on anyone, the hospital’s doctors will go to the farthest corner of the east coast to reach those in need.

After the Matai’an Creek barrier lake overflowed, inundating Hualien’s Guangfu Township, armies of shovel-wielding volunteers have flocked to the east coast. But in this vast area, it’s the doctors at Mennonite Christian Hospital who have served these thousands of families for 77 years and counting.

Hsu Yuan-hao
Hospital speech pathologist
When he swallowed, his throat and eyes moved, but he couldn’t speak. At that time, he encountered a huge problem. He started to choke when eating. For his inflammation, his family was planning to intubate him with a nasogastric tube. But at the time, the only parts of his body that could move were the tears that kept falling.

Chang Wen-hsin
Hospital CEO
We want to provide them with very good lodgings. Yesterday, we held a Mid-Autumn Festival barbeque for people staying in the dorms. We want to think of a way for these wonderful people to stay in Hualien. Then, with everyone’s support, we could recover even faster than three months.

With its remote healthcare services, the hospital also described how it helps people get through hard times.

Chiu Mu-en
Hospital occupational therapist
Over the 10 or so years I’ve been providing early treatment services, I’ve seen people become more aware of the importance of early intervention and seen it become destigmatized. Now we really need like-minded people to join in. We might need to travel far and wide. We’ll need many vehicles and resources to help us safely move around. We need a center.

Genuine voices highlighted the challenges of unequal distribution of healthcare. For 77 years, Mennonite Christian Hospital has vowed to never give up on anyone. Now, it’s asking for more help to care for the families across remote reaches of the nation’s east.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#MennoniteChristianHospital #Hualien #Guangfu #healthcare #remotehealthcare #rural #eastcoast #hospital

偏鄉就醫路太遠？花蓮門諾醫院77年奔3千萬公里守護生命

2025-10-10

花東幅員遼闊，偏鄉就醫往返常常耗盡一家子的時間與資源，不過，花蓮門諾醫院，用77年的堅持，跨越超過三千萬公里，從義肢不合身的身障病友，到必須在鼻胃管與尊嚴間掙扎的長者，還有發展遲緩需要早療的孩子，門諾醫院用「不放棄」的精神，讓醫療真的走到最需要的角落。

馬太鞍溪堰塞湖溢流，重創花蓮光復，鏟子超人挺進東部，花東地區幅員遼闊，當地花蓮門諾醫院，77年來，陪伴數千個家庭。

[[門諾醫院語言治療師許原豪]]
“他吞東西喉嚨會動，另外一個就是眼睛會動，那他也不能夠說話，那這個時候，但是他在當時又遇到，一個很大的問題是，他吃東西開始有嗆的狀況，這個肺炎，家屬也準備要把他放鼻胃管，那這個時候呢，他全身唯二，就是唯一會動的地方，就是眼淚他就不斷地一直掉下來。”

[[門諾醫院總執行長張文信]]
“我們也要給他們有很好的宿舍。其實就是想盡辦法，讓這些好的人能夠留在花蓮，然後在大家的支持之下，能夠讓這樣的缺口，要等三個月的這樣的週期，能夠再縮短。”

靠行動醫療深入偏鄉，講述醫院如何陪他們，走過最辛苦時刻。

[[門諾醫院職能治療組長邱牧恩]]
“那我在早療服務，大概十幾年的期間，也看到大家對於早療，越來越認知它的重要性，跟去這個標籤化。志同道合的人會是，我們現在非常需要一起投入的，再來就是我們可能都需要上山下海，我們需要有車輛，我們需要有很多的資源，幫助我們安全的運動，我們要有中心。”

真實聲音，突顯醫療資源不均的困境，門諾醫院用77年實踐「不放棄」，也期待更多社會支持，一起守護後山每個家庭。

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Quite an unexpected choice for such a solemn occasion. After singing the final notes, he went on a tirade against the ruling party.

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When everyone thought Han’s show was over, he returned to the podium for an eyebrow-raising reprise after Lai Ching-te’s National Day address.

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His spontaneous remarks started with “A new Taiwan rises in a time of change,” which is the title of Lai’s address. It seems he started reading from the wrong script.

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Roiling floodwaters carrying sediment wipe away this bridge in an instant. This shocking scene was caused by the overflow of the Matai’an Creek barrier lake in Hualien’s Guangfu Township.

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When it overflows depends entirely on the amount of rainfall. We can’t control the rain, so we can only study it and order an evacuation. Otherwise, the loss of life could be greater than anyone can imagine.

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“I want lead everyone in bowing deeply to thank you all, for helping us return to normalcy in such a short time. Thank you.”

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