Ming-Shiang Wu, M.D., PhD

The National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) located from No. 1 Changde Street to No. 7 Zhongshan South Road has a branch in Yunlin, Hsinchu Branch, Jinshan Branch, Beihu Branch, etc., since development to the present. Despite the many challenges faced, the NTUH’s medical system has withstood the test and continues to develop and flourish. The NTUH remains the best hospital and best guardian of citizen health in the hearts of the general public.

I am honored to be the superintendent of the NTUH, the leading medical community, in Taiwan. I would like to share with all three short stories to elaborate on my personal philosophy. The first story took place during the Second World War. The United States at the time often found defects with parachutes worn by pilots. Many people lost their lives as a result. At a meeting, someone suggested changing the inspection and acceptance approach, asking vendors to try out the parachutes they made every time they won the bid. Ever since then, no one ever lost their lives because the parachutes could not open. There is a famous saying in the service industry, “Put yourself in the customer’s shoes”. Of course, medical care is not plainly a service industry; it concerns patients’ health and their rights to live. What we often say “Life is priceless; treat patients as family” is not a slogan or a catchphrase. It should be the core value of all medical practitioners! Although the world is dark, as long as we have a profound understanding of it, I am convinced all the hard work will eventually pay off. It is particularly so for the NTUH, the leader in the medical professional in Taiwan. The NTUH should take responsibility and be devoted in serving patients in times of “emergency, serious illness, difficult treatment, and rare disease”.

In the second story, when British people emigrated to Australia; many people were found dead on board while crossing the ocean. In order to reduce mortality, many methods were used, with insignificant results. Later, some changed the freight computing method from people departing from the United Kingdom pay, into people getting off in Australia pay. Ever since then, the survival rate increased substantially. That said, it is essential that we set our goals. If the target is wrong, the faster we run, the farther away we are from it. As we all know, the NTUH’s goal is to be a world-class university hospital, not only providing high-quality standard medical services, but also creating new knowledge and fostering talents.

The National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) and the National Taiwan University (NTU) are the most reliable backing for innovation and creation. The three future goals include strengthening collaboration with schools, industries, and academic research units (Academia Sinica, Industrial Technology Research Institute, and National Health Research Institutes), jointly engage in smart medical care aspired by Superintendent Chen, and precision health and cutting-edge medical care (including cell therapy, new diagnosis and treatment related clinical trials). Additionally, the College of Public Health, NTU is neighboring the NTU who along with the NTUH give advice on Taiwan’s medical system and preventive medicine, which is the social responsibility of the NTUH as a national-level hospital. I hope NTUH instructors are not just professors of NTU but also professors of Taiwan and the world!

The third story took place during the U.S.-Soviet cold war over dominance in space. One year, while U.S. President John F. Kennedy was visiting NASA, after using the toilet, he came across a black janitor. He approached the janitor and shook her hand, thanking her for cleaning the toilets so well. Unexpectedly, the janitor replied, “Mr. President, I did not come to NASA to clean toilets, I came to help everyone land on the moon.” This story tells us why the United States landed on the Moon before the USSR did. Therefore, it takes concerted teamwork and a common vision to achieve success and accomplish tasks. It reflects the values and discourse system recognized by a group, a manifestation of collective wisdom. That is, “If we win, we toast to celebrate; if we lose, we risk our life to save each other”.