National Cheng Kung University Hospital helps provide South Asian country with oxygen concentrators
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — In response to calls from India to save lives due to a massive surge in coronavirus cases, the Taiwan government flew out its first medical aid delivery on Sunday (May 2) — with speedy assistance from the National Cheng Kung University Hospital (NCKUH).
In April, India experienced a catastrophic second wave of COVID-19 infections and there was a nationwide shortage of oxygen concentrators. As a result, the country's famed child climate activist Licypriya Kangujam reached out to Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, calling for assistance.
In response, the Taiwan government sought help from NCKUH, the largest healthcare center in Tainan, to speed up the humanitarian relief effort. The hospital tapped into its professional network to help the government identify readily available oxygen concentrators from its stockpile to support India's COVID-19 relief efforts, in less than a week.
The first batch of medical supplies, including 150 oxygen concentrators and 500 oxygen cylinders, arrived at India's Delhi Airport on Sunday morning via a special cargo flight. Gourang Das, director-general of the India Taipei Association, expressed his gratitude to Taiwan for its friendship and assistance.
NCKUH has worked closely since 2018 with its counterparts at several Indian hospitals, in both government and non-governmental organizations. It has also taken part in hundreds of professional meetings and events, including the Taiwan Expo in India run by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA).
NCKUH has also invited to Taiwan experts and scholars from the World Health Organization Southeast Asia Regional Office (WHO SEARO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to give speeches. Memorandums of understanding (MOUs) have been inked between the hospital and several Indian organizations to promote exchanges in the fight against COVID and to expand joint healthcare ventures in India.
The hospital has been an active player in promoting health and collaboration between the two countries for many years. Before the pandemic, it hosted an international forum in Delhi, in 2019, to introduce Taiwan's healthcare system to its Indian counterparts. It also led a trade team of Taiwanese manufacturers to Medical Fair India, built a Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) for the Indian Cygnus Hospital Rama Viharru Branch, and initiated several business meetups between Indian health centers and Taiwan manufacturers.
Since the COVID outbreak, business has shifted from the offline to the online, which has seen Taiwan manufacturers secure orders for electronic thermometers, forehead thermometers, rapid test kits, respirators, and medical gloves. It is noteworthy that a video conference cohosted by the hospital contributed to a combined US$2-million-worth of deals for protective suits and COVID-19 tests.
New coronavirus cases and deaths in India hit another record daily high on Thursday (May 6) with over 412,000 new infections and 3,980 fatalities being reported, according to its local media.
A pathologist and physician in the critical care unit of National Cheng Kung University Hospital show how they do COVID-19 tests and treatments to Indian medical specialists in a video conference. (NCKUH photo)
NCKUH pathologists and an Indian public health student in a doctoral program talk to Indian health specialists about how they perform COVID-19 tests and treatments in a video conference. (NCKUH photo)
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