A short film highlighting how Taiwan Can Help achieve the World Health Organization’s major objective of Health For All was released April 9 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The eight-minute video documents the good work of Taiwan-trained Dr. Paul Bosawai Popora in Pacific ally the Solomon Islands. Shot entirely on location, the eye-catching production is subtitled in Chinese, English, French, German, Indonesian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Thai and Vietnamese.
Popora, who spent 10 years studying medicine at National Cheng Kung University in southern Taiwan’s Tainan City on a government-sponsored scholarship, was amazed by the quality of Taiwan’s medical care, the MOFA said.
The selfless efforts and dedication displayed by NCKU Hospital doctors, nursing staff and volunteers greatly inspired Popora to share Taiwan’s world-class accomplishments and spirit of volunteerism, the ministry added.
After graduating from NCKU in 2014, Popora returned home to practice and later founded a privately run community clinic. The facility receives regular donations of medical supplies and pharmaceuticals from Taiwan, which he disburses at no cost to the economically disadvantaged.
According to the MOFA, the Pacific nation has one of the lowest doctor-to-patient ratios in the world, with only two qualified physicians per 10,000 people as compared to the global average of 14.89.
Over the past decade, Taiwan has helped train more than 70 medical staff in the Solomon Islands, the MOFA said, adding that Popora is a shining example of what can be achieved via the country’s All Hands On Deck approach to advancing global health, the ministry said. (SFC-E) Health for all - Taiwan can help
