Iha Formosa-“Beautiful Island”-Mr. Kirau Moses
Iha Formosa-“Beautiful Island”
Mr. Kirau Moses (Pathology technologist) – Papua New Guinea (2015/08/29-09/26)
My one month in Changhua Christian Hospital was an awesome experience. It started from the moment I step foot on the plane from Lae (PNG) to Taiwan. It was my first time to Hong Kong on the new International airport as well as my flight on China Airlines to Taiwan.
The China airlines flight to Taiwan in the night was amazing. You could see the glow of lights and the radiant of the beautiful island of Taiwan. Arriving at the airport and getting to the Changhua Christian Hospital via the freeway with flood lights on either side， was welcoming.
At the hospital one of the staff’s came and gave me my room key and authority access pass and I was wondering where my abode was. The staff told me that I will reside in the hospital hence the hospital has suites and dormitories for visitors-amazing. I took residence in David Suites (Level 13) of Education and Research Building. The room suite was very attractive and comfortable.
I attended a welcome dinner hosted by Dr. Nina， CEO of Overseas Medical Mission Centre at CCH and was introduced to the staff –Pauline， Chess， Janet ，Jenny and Esther. The orientation program went smoothly as I was given the information and insight into the training program.
During the orientation and tour of the hospital I was introduced to my training instructor Shu Hui Lin (Molecular Pathology supervisor) at the Pathology Department –Level 8 (Education and Research Building).
My training instructor introduced me to the working environment and to the Pathologists， Medical Technologists and clerical staff at the Department. I was allocated a working space at the Medical Technologist Office which was very nice and considerate.
The training was delivered in the form of lectures as well as bed side teaching. My main instructors were Shu Hui Lin， Chun Min Yeh and Yu Lan Yeh. The training program involved techniques and procedures in Histopathology， Cytopathology and Molecular Pathology.
The techniques I was introduced to include:
• Histopathology-Gross taking， Tissue processing， embedding， sectioning， staining and screening.
• Cytopathology-Screening and introduction to cervical (Pap) smear， Fine Needle Aspirate Cytology and Liquid Base cytology.
• Molecular pathology-PCR/RT PCR， Immunohistochemistry-KRAS，EGFR and In situ hybridization -FISH
Apart from my main instructors I also had helped from the other MT’s at the department. The instructors and staff demonstrated exceptional knowledge and professionalism in their duties as well as their enthusiasm in training human resource.
Apart from the language barrier， I really enjoyed every moment of my stay in the Pathology Department. I often had lunch and tea with the staff， sharing food， stories and moments together. They took me in as one of their own and even organized for me to attend a baseball game at Taichung. I really enjoyed the baseball game-so humbling. I really loved being around with them and will surely miss them.
Likewise Dr. Nina and the staff of Overseas Medical Mission Centre played a vital role in my training and experience as well. The trips to Taipei 101， Taipei Zoo， Moakong Cable Car， National Chang-Kai Shek Memorial Hall， CCH branch visits， Night markets and BBQ was educational， applicable and extra-ordinary.
Even the various delicacies of food and the people in Changhua also had a positive impact on my stay here at Changhua.
The trip to Taipei 101 is one of the best moments of mine here in Taiwan. In a split second， you are on top of the world. It also encourages me to see things in a different perspective and appreciate the concept of having a strong foundation. The sky is the limit if you have a solid foundation.
Changhua Christian Hospital is built on a solid foundation.
1. Self -sacrifice (cross)-substitute as an act of mercy to give someone a second chance at life.
2. Humility (washing feet)-identifying your gifting and being yourself and using it to save a life
3. Impartation (burning bush)-imparting and empowering health personnel in the world through your knowledge， culture and values.
The very act of giving me a key and authority access pass to Changhua Christian Hospital signifies the permission to learn the secrets to your success. And I am indebted to have learnt some of your secrets that I could use to make a difference in PNG.
The professionalism， love and friendship by the staff of Overseas Medical Mission Centre， staff at Pathology Department and the people of Changhua and Taiwan is like a fragrance from a blooming spring rose that you can smell from miles away.
The Portuguese were not wrong when they named Taiwan ‘IIha Formosa’ meaning Beautiful Island. Taiwan is beautiful in every aspect. Changhua Christian Hospital and the people of Taiwan will always have a special place in my heart.
