Far Eastern Memorial Hospital (FEMH) has been established for decades at Banqiao District of New Taipei City. While offering highly specialized medical care to the community, the world-renowned hospital and its enduring contribution can be attributed to the generosity of my late father.

Mr. Yu-zing Hsu, the founder of the Far Eastern Group, had been committed to corporate social responsibilities since the early stage of his business developments by establishing the “Far Eastern Medical Foundation” in 1977 to commemorate my grandfather. Given the lack of medical center grade services in Taipei County (now New Taipei City), local residents had to spend hours in commuting to seek better medical care in Taipei City, which was very costly and time consuming that could cause serious delay for urgent and intensive patients. Therefore, the Group Foundation established FEMH in 1981 at Banqiao, the early home base of the Far Eastern Group.

At the beginning, FEMH was merely a local hospital operating with 7 departments and 150 beds. Now it has expanded into a large Medical Center with 81 specialties, 1,415 beds, and 150,000 outpatient visits each month. It is the only Medical Center level in New Taipei City which has developed milestone contributions and expertise, and continues to receive National Quality Award as well as Disease–Specific Care Certification.

It is rewarding to witness the philanthropic act of the Group initiated years ago has transformed into this remarkable success. Deepest appreciation to the first President Tien Ke-kao as well as past serving Presidents of FEMH, in particular the 5th President Dr. Chu Shu-shun. Under his leadership, FEMH has partnered with National Taiwan University Hospital since 1999. Dr. Chu also led the medical, nursing, and administrative teams, jointly broaden their expertise, set up vision, and registered world-class milestones for the hospital. We are also very thankful for dedications of every employee, and trust that with our collaborative efforts we strive to follow the guiding spirits of “treating patients as families” and emphasize on the patient-centric culture.

Another trend that has been developing recently is the application of smart healthcare, progressing extensively across telemedicine to artificial intelligence (AI), as well as minimal invasive surgeries to stem cell therapies. We need to better understand patients’ needs by adopting technological advancements and expediting the smart healthcare services. In line with the smart healthcare waves, FEMH has partnered with Far EasTone Telecommunications to provide Taiwan’s first continuous diabetes care services in New Taipei City through 5G technologies, enhancing the convenience of diabetes patients seeking healthcare and boosting screening rate. In the future, the introduction of AI analytics will help physicians diagnose more rapidly. This will not only serve to improve the medical qualities of FEMH, but also establish a more flexible and resilient operating model, ensuring our competitive advantages.

In addition to serving the Banqiao area, FEMH is also planning to expand its reach into Taoyuan City. Taoyuan Far Eastern Memorial Hospital will provide medical center grade healthcare services to the people of Taoyuan. Furthermore, the establishment of Graduate Institute of Medicine at Yuan Ze University will help cultivate more healthcare talents for the Group’s hospitals, and provide exceptional medical services to the general public.

With the advancement of medical technologies and aging society in Taiwan, we need to be innovative, remain competitive, develop smart healthcare, and adjust service models. Breakthrough with action while focusing on patient-centric! Let FEMH grow into a comprehensive caring Medical Center to safeguard people’s health and wellbeing.