A delegation from Taiwan’s Mackay Memorial Hospital is in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to advance a renewed healthcare partnership and assist in the development of a modern, practical Health Information System.
The visit follows a high-level meeting in Taipei, where Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Hon. Dr. Godwin Friday, led a nine-member official delegation to Mackay Memorial Hospital to meet its leadership.
The visit comes as the government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines actively works to complete its new, modern hospital in Arnos Vale.
Dr. Wen-Han Chang, Superintendent of Mackay Memorial Hospital, reaffirmed the institution’s core mission to the Prime Minister, stating that the hospital remains true to its founding principle of “going where there is need.”
The partnership between Mackay Memorial Hospital and Saint Vincent’s Milton Cato Memorial Hospital has spanned ten years, enduring through political changes and multiple presidential terms in Taiwan.
Dr. Wade Tsai, Director of the Hospital Affairs Management Department at Mackay Memorial Hospital, emphasized that the hospital’s work is driven by humanitarian commitment rather than politics.
Dr. Tsai, who is part of the team, explained that the upcoming mission will focus specifically on the country’s Health Information System. This follows a recent Project Appraisal Mission conducted by a Mackay Memorial Hospital delegation and the Taiwan ICDF project team to assess requirements for the proposed system, which included facility visits and stakeholder consultations to design a more connected, efficient health system.
Drawing from Mackay Memorial Hospital’s extensive hands-on experience, Dr. Tsai highlighted that practicality must guide system design.
“An engineer can design a system, but a nurse managing multiple patients at 3 a.m. determines its practicality,” Dr. Tsai remarked, stating that the hospital is ready to share its years of experience to build a system that works effectively for local healthcare workers.
