Tzu Chi Worldwide Medical Missions Disaster Relief in the City of Lota, Chile May 30, 2010 On May 30 th, 2010, in a chilly morning choked with fish smells and dense fog, residents of Lota were about to begin their regular chores. A life of beauty had been established in this town where few, if any, would have expected this to happen. Right after the Haitian earthquake on January 22 nd, 2010, another devastating earthquake, measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale, struck Chile on February 27 th. Tzu Chi volunteers, led by the Argentinean chapter, have been involved with aid distribution there for more than three months. A series of disaster relief programs, including the latest medical free clinic, were launched by Tzu Chi volunteers in successive waves. With Tzu Chi Aid Distribution, Political Parties with Opposing Views Came Together Angel De Valbello is the largest elementary school in Lota. On this Sunday morning, a group of angels dressed in white and blue uniforms, were busy An 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck Chile on February 27 and causes huge damage. 104 Tzu Chi International
Ms. Cecilia Pinera (left 4) was among the guests at the Lota free medical fair. decorating the classrooms with flowers and flags, as if to celebrate an important holiday, even though there was no school that day. Thirty different kinds of medicine were stacked neatly on the tables in preparation for a medical fair that was about to begin. At about 8:30 am, people started filling into the room, many with big smiles on their faces. They were very curious about this oriental group who had come to their town from somewhere far away. The city Mayor, Senators and the President s daughter were among the guests in the crowd. We started the distribution with the song Love, sung in Chinese, but translated into Spanish by our host. Our happiness comes from your smiles. If you cry, I feel hurt. My dream is to be with you Pretty soon, the atmosphere warmed and people rose to hold hands. Even bureaucrats who had long opposed each other softened their hearts and stood with each other while the local media was busy shooting this rare moment of cooperation between political parties. Volunteers were excited by what they saw, because their efforts in working with the two opposing political parties finally were showing results. Along the Medical Association 105
Tzu Chi Worldwide Medical Missions way, volunteers had to overcome many roadblocks in dealing with the different levels of government, including the mayor and senators. Volunteer Martin was able to communicate with them effectively and finally obtained their trust. A Mayoral assistant, Mary, was deeply touched with everything she saw. She said, We thank you for your love. Thank you for coming to Chile. Everyone needs to learn from you. Our world will have peace if everyone learns to love each other. The town of Lota, already challenged with a disaster, realized that political infighting had to stop. People finally crossed the political aisle to support one another in these times of great urgency. Kindness and compassion prevailed. It all came from the people s hearts. What a beautiful ending! The Buddha Bathing Ceremony Before the aid distribution, separate Buddha bathing ceremonies were performed at both Quirihue and Lota. Tzu Chi volunteers made the necessary adjustments to the ceremony so that the Chileans, mostly Roman Catholic, prayed for themselves, their families and for peace in the world. The ceremonies were held with solemnity and reverence. Many Chileans were moved to tears. The ceremonies were meant to heal the people s spirit, regardless of religion, race and nationality. Tzu Chi volunteer Sister Liang-Dai Hong, from Argentina, explaining the Bamboo Era to guests. 106 Tzu Chi International
A total of 2,002 families, or 9,940 persons, received materials and supplies. There were a total of 200 volunteers participating, including 28 Tzu Chi volunteers from overseas and 4 from Chile. 123 local residents from the local communities also supported the event. Approximately three thousand people attended these ceremonies. The Struggle for the First Medical Fair The medical fair in Chile was the result of the tremendous effort of Dr. Chuang- Rong Yang. Contrary to the common misconception that Chile has a good medical system, Dr. Yang saw the need to provide free medical service to the poorer segments of the population. In Chile, the lack of doctors strains their medical system. Long lines at the hospitals discourage patients from seeking medical service until it is too late. General surgeries typically require more than six months advance scheduling. It was a challenge to host a free medical fair in Lota. Dr. Yang had to cope with many equipment failures, and needed to procure replacement machines, like the electronic thermometer or the blood pressure meter. When the pediatricians requested heaters for the children, Dr. Yang immediately complied and secured two. Dr. Yang also served as the public relations coordinator when the daughter of the Chilean President joined the volunteer workforce at the medical fair. He was the liaison with the local media, as well Patients waiting to be seen at the medical fair in Lota. Medical Association 107
Tzu Chi Worldwide Medical Missions as performing many other miscellaneous duties. Even though these tasks may have seemed trivial, they were extremely important for the success of the fair. TIMA (USA) vs TIMA (Chile) Warm sunlight shone through the large windows, filling a classroom in Angel De Valbello Elementary School. The school had been turned into a temporary Tzu Chi free clinic with one classroom being the pharmacy and physician lounge, the classroom next door being the examination and treatment room, and the corridor being the waiting area. Dr. Yang was sitting in a school chair quickly eating, while holding a lunch box in his left hand, and a pair of chopsticks in his right hand. He is a young man with a medium build. A grown-up has a difficult time fitting into a child s school chair, but he didn t seem to notice that. After a busy morning (it was now 2:00pm), he had finally gotten a moment to sit down and eat. He was anxious to finish his lunch and return to his work, so he ate quickly. They had seen about two hundred patients through Pharmacist Shui-Zhen Chen explaining the use of medicines to patients. 108 Tzu Chi International
Doctors treating patients in Lota. the fishy smell emanating from the fish products factories affected the health of the residents in a very bad way. Black smoke inundated the air, moving slowly like an evil spirit. Rows of local people waited in the corridor outside the classroom, a third of which were children. The older ones coughed with hands covering their mouths while the younger ones, who hadn t yet learned to cover their mouths, just coughed. Most of the patients here today had coughing problems. Almost every child had mid afternoon, but the long line of people tracheitis a type of bronchitis. The winter waiting didn t seen to be abating. was coming. Many people suffered from Occasionally, he looked up from his respiratory infections, and the majority of lunch box and looked out the window. The those were children. Dr. Yang was very bright sun was dazzling. His eyes, behind distressed and said, these are not lifethreatening diseases, but without timely his silver-rimmed glasses, squinted a bit. He could see the narrow road outside the treatment, the patients will have to suffer window, the cottage houses built along even more than they already have. the hill, and a copper smelter behind those Starting at 9 am, Dr. Yang and his cottages. Thick, black smoke was coming six colleagues had been seeing patients out of a huge chimney at the smelter. without a break. In the course of a single Chile is known as the kingdom of day, they offered 214 medical services copper, since it is the number one copper to 204 patients, including 68 children. producer in the world. Lota was a city Seven physicians, one pharmacist, and dominated by fishing and mining, and the one nurse served at the free clinic that quality of the air was very poor. The sooty day. Two medical staffers were from exhaust from copper smelting plants and TIMA (Tzu Chi International Medical Medical Association 109
Tzu Chi Worldwide Medical Missions Association) USA; the remainder was local professionals invited by Dr. Yang. One day earlier, this medical team had conducted a similar medical fair at Quirihue, about 80 kilometers from Lota. The first day s team included ten doctors, one pharmacist and one nurse. They had seen a total of 187 patients, including 49 children. The town of Quirihue was primarily farming and forestry community, therefore the air quality was much better than that of Lota. However, many patients still had bronchitis related illnesses, probably because of the approaching cold winter. Dr. Yang is a gynecologist, but played the role of an internal medicine doctor during the course of the medical fair. He has served in the private and public medical sectors in Chile for over seventeen years. Chile has a good medical system and the government subsidizes medical insurance for the unemployed and children. Preventive medicine is popular and encouraged in the community. People generally can receive medical care at public hospitals for a nominal charge. However, because of a shortage of medical personnel, there are long lines at the public hospitals. Only patients with emergency conditions have the highest priority. The average waiting time for an appointment varies from three to four months. Private hospitals provide faster service, but most patients can t afford the expensive charges. Dr. Yang thinks that there are sufficient reasons to continue free medical care in Chile. Bronchitis is a chronic disease that is widespread, especially in Chilean children. In the past, Dr. Yang and his family have organized bits and pieces of care -- for example, donating blankets to the elderly and toys to children hospitals. The arrival of Tzu Chi after the earthquake has given hope to Dr. Yang, who vowed to organize a TIMA chapter in Chile. When you vow to do good things in Dr. Chuang-Long Yang vowed to form TIMA in Chile. 110 Tzu Chi International
the communities, you are not alone. TIMA (USA) responded to Dr. Yang s call in May and a medical team from the USA arrived in Chile to help Dr. Yang organize the first free medical fair in Quirihue, Chile. TIMA Chile was thus born shortly thereafter. Dr. Yang was finally able to organize and witness two back-to-back free medical fairs in Chile. He spoke happily about two events, Tiring but worth it. The experience serving the victims has given him an unwavering determination to continue the work in Chile. Dr. Yang has the support of his family, who also participated in the free fairs. His colleague Dr. Hsu, an eye specialist, hesitated at first, but then decided to support the project wholeheartedly after witnessing the events. Pharmacist Chen was instrumental in procuring the needed medicine. Dr. Chen has lived in Chile for over thirty years. She decided to become one of the early pioneers of TIMA (Chile). The daughter of the Chilean President, Cecilia Pinera, is a pediatrician who voluntarily participated in the two events. She even invited two of her colleagues to join the Lota free medical fair. A total of 204 patients, including 68 children, received medical care and services in today s clinic. The clinic wound down at 3:00 pm and those patients still waiting were given vitamins to take home. The next free medical fair is officially the responsibility of Dr. Yang and his newly formed TIMA (Chile). The seeds of TIMA have sprouted in Chile to relieve suffering. TIMA (USA) assisted the opening of the free medical clinic in Chile. The doctor on the right is Dr. Youquin Du. Medical Association 111