Tzu Chi Q&A

When visiting the poor in Tzu Chi's early years, Master Cheng Yen came to realize that many people became poor due to illness or vice versa, so she concluded that, to end poverty, illness needed to be taken care of first. Therefore, in 1972, Tzu Chi set up a free clinic in Hualien to provide medical services to the poor twice a week. The free clinic remained in service until the first Tzu Chi Hospital opened in 1986.

All around Taiwan, Tzu Chi has set up six hospitals in Guanshan, Yuli, Hualien, Taipei, Taichung, and Dalin.

Tzu Chi hospitals value humane, whole-person care. Apart from providing integrated medical services, they also strive to care for patients with love and respect while also supporting their emotional and spiritual needs so as to inspire hope in them and enhance their lives.

Tzu Chi hospitals are not run for profit, so they treat the poor, in Taiwan and from abroad alike, for free. After these patients are discharged, if they live in Taiwan, the hospital staff will visit them at home for follow-up care and support. For those from abroad, after they return to their countries, local Tzu Chi volunteers will continue to care for them and arrange further treatment at local hospitals if need be.

Tzu Chi hospitals are not run for profit, so they treat the poor, in Taiwan and from abroad alike, for free. After these patients are discharged, if they live in Taiwan, the hospital staff will visit them at home for follow-up care and support. For those from abroad, after they return to their countries, local Tzu Chi volunteers will continue to care for them and arrange further treatment at local hospitals if need be.

All year round, there are Tzu Chi volunteers serving in the hospitals, caring for patients and their families as well as serving as a bridge between the medical staff and patients.

To serve their surrounding communities, Tzu Chi hospitals frequently hold health-related talks for local residents. Yuli Tzu Chi Hospital even starts its outpatient service at 6 a.m. to accommodate early-rising farmers in town, while doctors from Guanshan Tzu Chi Hospital regularly go to the mountain areas to provide the indigenous people with medical care from door to door.

Yes. Tzu Chi has set up hospitals, clinics, dialysis centers, or free clinics in the U.S., Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, China and Turkey:

TIMA, or Tzu Chi International Medical Association, is a global network of licensed doctors, nurses, medical technicians, and pharmacists who volunteer with Tzu Chi. Excluding non-medical volunteers, there are now over 10,000 TIMA members in 15 countries and regions around the world. In their countries of residence, they routinely conduct medical outreaches and make home visits to serve those in need of medical attention. In times of disaster, war, or crisis, they'll come together to provide medical relief to those affected. As of 2016, TIMA members had provided free medical services to over 2.8 million people in 50 countries and regions.