Documentary series highlights Taiwan’s medical achievements

2016/07/14

The documentary series “Medical Elite,” part of the “Taiwan Revealed” programs produced by Discovery Channel in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, premiered at Taipei Guest House July 12, highlighting some of the nation’s world-leading health care breakthroughs and its active role in international medical relief efforts.

“Taiwan Revealed: Medical Elite” consists of two 60-minute episodes introducing medical innovations such as an improved therapy for Pompe disease and the world’s first stool color card screening for biliary atresia. The first is slated to be broadcast on Discovery Channel across Asia-Pacific July 20 and the second July 27, while the series is expected to reach about 200 million households in 36 countries and markets throughout the region.

“In the past, the international community helped Taiwan eradicate several communicable diseases. Today, as a nation with advanced medical resources, Taiwan is returning the favor,” Vice President Chen Chien-jen, a distinguished epidemiologist, said at the premiere. “Our country has been transformed from a recipient to a provider of international medical assistance, with many medical professionals contributing their expertise to help promote the universal human right to health care.”

“The series explores the efforts of Taiwan’s overseas medical missions, informing audiences that the nation is committed to fulfilling its role as a responsible member of the international community,” Minister of Foreign Affairs David Tawei Lee said at the premiere.

Featuring a total of nine stories, the two episodes highlight exceptional individuals such as 88-year-old Lien Jih-ching, also known as Dr. Mosquito, who helped lead the fight against malaria in Taiwan and western Africa’s Sao Tome and Principe. The program also showcases the medical mission to Cambodia carrying out cleft lip and palate surgeries by Taiwan-based nongovernmental organization Noordhoff Craniofacial Foundation, as well as the government-supported Industrial Technology Research Institute’s efforts to develop a state-of-the-art robotics system to aid elderly patients worldwide during rehabilitation.

In 2003, the MOFA began cooperating with Discovery Channel to produce films highlighting intriguing stories and remarkable individuals from Taiwan. Launched in 2010, the “Taiwan Revealed” series has previously explored a variety of topics, ranging from the nation’s agricultural innovations to its cultural assets.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=246198&ctNode=2194&mp=9)