Taiwan Ostomy Association – WOD 2012

Taiwan Ostomy Association was established in 1996. Current President is Ms Po-Jui Yu. She is an ET and is also lecturer in School of Nursing in National Taiwan University ( NTU ).

They have others in EC. They have about 300 members. They take yearly subscriptions of NTD (Local currency ) per member. New joiners have to pay NTD 500 to become a member of association. The Association holds yearly meetings in different cities of Taiwan. The local visitors are called members of “Roseclub”. In Taipei there are about 10 visitors or Rose club members in NTU hospital. There is no formal Visitors Training but experienced Visitors train new ostomates.

I was in Taiwan for four nights and five days but I my stay was organised in different hotels and different city every night!! But it was very comfortable and memorable visit. Local Coloplast Manager of Taiwan Mrs Teresa Lee and her local team along with Mr Patrick Wong, Coloplast Hong Kong had helped local ostomy groups in these three cities to organise WOD celebrations.

Taipei :
On the day of arrival in the evening I had dinner with Executive members of TOWCNA (Taiwan Ostomy Wound Continence Nurses Association).

President of TOWCNA is Ms Po-Jui Yu. She is an ET and is also lecturer in School of Nursing in National Taiwan University (NTU ). She also is a President of Taiwan Ostomy Association . Also present at dinner were Mrs Elizabeth Kwei- Yin Wu, an ET and Senior Nurse Consultant ET nursing from NTU Hospital along with few other ETs and Mrs Teresa Lee and her team members from Coloplast ,Taiwan.

Next day I participated in local WOD celebrations where about 60 ostomates and care givers were present along with few ETs . Ostomates shared their experiences and I gave a lecture on “Living with a Stoma “ where I covered life experience as well as how to deal with day to day issues and I gave an account of organisation of IOA and ASPOA and their activities and their role in International ostomy community. There was also Interactive sessions between health care professionals, ostomates and care givers.

In the afternoon I spoke to about 20 nurses on the nurse’s role in Stoma care as well as on training in stoma care for nurses.

We travelled to Tainan, a city in south of Taiwan, on the same day by high speed train which runs at about 350KM per  hour.Ms Teresa Lee, Local Manager of Coloplast had organised a dinner with few doctors Prof. Alan Ko- Chi Niu ( HOD Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy unit) and Mrs Kelly an ET, both in Chi Mei Medical Centre, Tainan and few others including Mr Patrick Wong ,from Coloplast Hong Kong. It was an interesting evening as I got to know few things about local set up and got to know local health care professionals.

Next day I joined there WOD celebrations which was a big Event with lectures from local surgeons about current status of Management of Colorectal cancer ( Dr Yu- Feng Tian ,HOD Depart. Of Surgery), sharing of experiences by few ostoamtes, Complications of Ostomy and how to manage by local ET Mrs Kelly and I shared my experiences by lecture “ Living with a Stoma “.

There were local group of dancers and musicians who gave some entertaining programme .My lecture had to be translated in local Chinese language which was done by Mrs Phyllishsu​yang, local educator in that hospital. About 80 ostomates , few care givers, Local surgeons and nurses participated in the event.

There was a press conference prior to the WOD celebrations where lot of journalists from local news papers came to interview all of us to know more about ostomy care in Taiwan and cover WOD celebrations event. This was published next day in local daily.

Asia’s largest Hyperbaric Oxygen treatment facilities run in that hospital where at a time about 16-18 patients can be treated. It was an eye opener for me to know what they are doing and have achieved in that facilities. I also spend some time in Stoma clinic managed by ET Mrs Kelly and her team of that hospital and their work load and Services that they provide is excellent. Mrs Kelly also manages wound care in the Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment facilities.

Mrs Phyllishsu​yang was accompanying me every -where I went as she was my translator.

Taichung :
We travelled to Taichung, a city in the middle of Taiwan ,on the same day evening again by high speed train. Next day morning , there was a WOD celebrations in China Medical University Hospital.

Mrs Wil-Lie Chen , Associate Prof., School of Nursing was also present ) participated in the event. It was again sharing of experiences by local ostomates, My lecture was on “ Living with Stoma “ just like in Taipei and Tainan and interactive sessions between health care professionals and ostomates.

This was a very good sessions as lots of querries were raised on various issues of local ostomates and answered by local Prof. David,( Tao-Wei Ke) young and dynamic Colorectal Surgeon & by me. I was very humbled by Prof.David presence throughout this event as he directly came from local airport after flying in to Taiwan from Vancouver ( 16 hours of flying ) after attending a Colorectal Surgeons meeting. This showed his commitments to the cause of Ostomates.

After the event we proceeded to Taipei as there was forecast of hurricane hitting Taiwan next day when I was to leave for
Kuala Lumpur for similar event. fortunately this did not happen as it changed its course towards Hong Kong.

We had lovely dinner and visit to famous places in down town Taipei. Next day Mrs Teresa showed me her local Coloplast office and National Taiwan Hospital and Stoma Clinic.

We also visited one of the oldest Buddhist temple where I could observe local customs of how to get rid of “Evils Eye “ from some nasty evil persons on you. Same day after noon I took a flight to KL, Malaysia.