Dear guests, welcome to Taipei Veterans General Hospital. Your visit is a driving force of our progress, and we also look forward to receiving your comments to allow us to improve continuously.

Taipei Veterans General Hospital was founded at this present address of Taipei Shipai on 1 January 1958. With an initial of 600 beds, it has now expanded to nearly 3,000 beds to regard as a National Medical Center. The Hospital established the Taichung Branch in 1982, Kaohsiung Branch in 1990, “Ta Wo Clinic” at Wolong Street, Taipei in 1998, started to manage Guandu Hospital as entrusted by Taipei City Government in 2000, and listed seven Veterans Hospitals at Suao, Yuanshan, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Taitung, Yuli and Fenglin as the branches under its jurisdiction in 2011 to 2013. The Hospital is still expanding its services but without forgetting to extend its care in remote areas. The difficulties and grueling pioneering works that the predecessors have done are the greatest motivation and encouragement to me.

Occupying an area of 30 hectares and employing more than 6,000 people, the Hospital has a heavy workload to deal with more than 20,000 people engaged in various activities within the Hospital premise everyday, including some 10,000 outpatients, nearly 3,000 inpatients, outsourcing vendors, contract manufacturers, visiting guests and companions. Our major challenges, or rather our missions and goals are to fulfill the following tasks: To inherit the management of this National Medical Center that has long been regarded as a preferred Hospital and a world-class medical center by the people, always treat the patients courteously, pursuit of excellence, obey the moral principles seriously, and recognize the core values of law-abiding and trustworthy.

Based on my observation and expectation, the first priority we would do is to bear in mind the Five Convictions laid down by the late President Chiang Ching-kuo: The latest facilities, the topnotch physicians, the highest ethics, the most beautiful environment, and the best management. Secondly, we would strive in the following five perspectives: efficiency, quality, cultural, environmental, and scientific research.

In terms of health care efficiency, we must adhere to a patient-centered thinking model to provide fast, convenient and warm services, as well as strengthen total health care for individuals and families thoroughly in a horizontal-vertical integration manner. The aim is to make every effort to allow patients and their families to feel at ease and happiness. In terms of administrative efficiency, we must strengthen the information systems comprehensively, in particularly to strive to become a leader in Taiwan’s medical resource management system.

In terms of quality, we must stress the standard operating procedures and service enthusiasm of employees. We must fully support the establishment of first-class clinical trials on tumors, nerves, reconstruction of disabled, stem cell regeneration, elderly and new drugs; as well as clinical skills training, health management, cardiac electrophysiology, graviton, transplantation, minimally invasive medical center, post-natal care home centers, nutrition and health care centers, and other auxiliary units. Meanwhile, we must also emphasize personnel training, inherit the past and usher in the future, and strengthen community health care and international health care in order to fulfill our social responsibilities.

In humanity aspect, we must further strengthen veteran services to allow patients to have a homey feeling and conveniences. We must also allow the hospital staff to look upon the Hospital as a workplace to gain happiness, replenish energy, contribute to society, and willing to make great effects to throw themselves into their jobs. We should also pay great attention to history, rebuild the Academia Historical Museum to serve as a sacred hall for employees to gather and cherish the past.

In environmental aspect, we would like the Hospital to be a clean and quiet place for healing the mind and soul. We would also solve the parking problem, smooth the traffic flow, renovate the International Conference Center, tear down old dormitories reasonably, renovate dangerous buildings as soon as possible, and replace old hardware devices step by step according to mid- and long-term plans to show our  execution capabilities.

With regard to scientific research aspect, as the Hospital was set up as Taiwan’s first Medical Research Institute, the inauguration of“Kohlberg Medical Research Hall” in 1963 has since cultivated numerous medical research talents and leading researches under the premise of placing equal emphasis on fundamental and clinical medicine. This has caught worldwide attention. In 2009, the original site of Kohlberg Medical Research Hall was newly erected with a Medical Technology Building and installed with a biosafety levels 2 & 3 laboratory (BSL-2 & 3), a Good Clinical Practice (GLP) ward, medical and biological information network systems, and animal care and other facilities compliance with international standards. These have further boosted the hospital development in medical science and technology research. Moreover, the Hospital also enhances the promotion of industry-university collaboration and industrialization of medical research achievements to upgrade the standard of pharmaceutical biotechnology. In the future, we would try harder to fight for more budgets in order to spearhead the country’s hospitals and challenge the world.

It is indeed my great honor to be elected as the Director of Taipei Veterans General Hospital. There are countless things to do though, but they can’t be done instantly and require time and patience to do so. I would totally devote myself to the Hospital with the help of what I have learned to maintain its world-class and Taiwan No. 1 status. The purpose is to allow all those who work here feel proud and glad, and those who have been taken care of feel pleased and satisfied. Let’s work hard together, wishing every day is your first day at work, and every day is your struggle in last day of career. Let’s create a new milestone for Taipei Veterans General Hospital and be proud to be a member of Taipei Veterans General Hospital.

I look forward to receiving your favorable advice, and wish everyone healthly, prosperous, successful and able to fulfill every wish you make.

Deh-Ming Chang, M.D., Ph. D
 Superintendent