Department of Health, Taipei City Government

April 6th is the Taipei International Compassionate Community Day. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was postponed to October 17^th this year. Dr. Wen-Je Ko, the mayor of Taipei City, attended the Taipei International Compassionate Community Day and Leadership Summit, as well as the launch event of the book “Finding Compassion: Charity of Mazu and Compassionate Community,” published by Taipei Tianhou Temple. The third Taipei International Compassionate Community Day was celebrated in the presence of Shier-Chieg Huang, the Commissioner of the Department of Health, Taipei City, Yu-Hsiu Chou, the Commissioner of the Department of Social Welfare, Taipei City, Shiu-fu Huang, the Chair of Taipei Tianhou Temple, Yi-Sung Ho, the Chairman of the Taiwan International Compassionate Community Development Association and Shilin Shennong Temple, leaders and representatives from various compassionate communities, as well as Sheng-Jean Huang, the superintendent of Taipei City Hospital. Prof. Allan Kellehear, the trailblazer of compassionate communities, Bonnie Tompkins, the national lead of compassionate communities in Canada, Dr. Julian Abel, Director of Compassionate Communities UK and Dr. Shiroma Hiroshi, Chairman of Okinawa Global Healthcare Association also graced the occasion via video conference to share the progress in their respective country, as well as staying updated with the experience in Taiwan.
Mayor Ko expressed his gratitude to all the compassionate communities for the effort they have made. Even though community activities have been restricted to a certain extent due to the pandemic, each community has continued to care for elders, disadvantaged and marginalized while sharing knowledge and measures for epidemic prevention with the general public. With the recognition from experts all over the world, hopefully the new book will popularize the concept of compassionate communities so that the elders can enjoy their twilight years in happiness and good health.
According to Mayor Ko, the initiative of compassionate communities allows Taipei City residents to address the issues of life and end-of-life care from a hospital-based approach to a community-based one, enhancing people’s knowledge and integrated care in terms of health, death and life. The 2021 Taipei City Compassionate Community Action Agenda was also announced on the occasion, serving as the cornerstone of next year's work and propelling Taipei forward in terms of building compassionate communities.
Shier-Chieg Huang, the Commissioner of the Department of Health, Taipei City, explained that compassionate communities stem from the Charter for Compassion International, which encourages people to develop mutual trust and care based on empathy, and put emphasis on public health, as well as achieving mutual assistance in terms of community medical care and home-based hospice care. Taipei Tianhou Temple takes the idea of compassionate communities one step further with the all-encompassing love of religion, propagating Mazu’s kindness, protection and generosity to every corner.
Sheng-Jean Huang, the superintendent of Taipei City Hospital, pointed out that all leaders have gathered for the occasion of the third Taipei International Compassionate Community Day to showcase the appeal of this concept and the support from each community. COVID-19 might have presented many challenges, but it also taught the community members to protect themselves from the epidemic, altruism, mutual care and teamwork, which is the embodiment of compassion.
Yi-Sung Ho, the Chairman of the Taiwan International Compassionate Community Development Association, said that compassionate communities help elders with the last stage of their lives by sharing the experience with end-of-life care resources and empathy.
Shiu-fu Huang, the Chair of Taipei Tianhou Temple, pointed out that Taipei Tianhou Temple upholds Mazu’s compassionate spirit by mobilizing the community and organizations to care for the disadvantaged, as well as building a harmonious society based on mutual assistance. With the effort of chief editor Liu Jia-ren and cross-border collaboration, “Finding Compassion: Charity of Mazu and Compassionate Community” introduces compassionate communities in a clear and concise way, in the hopes of bringing attention to interpersonal relationships.
During the leadership summit, the deputy superintendent of Taipei City Hospital, Lin-Chung Woung, shared the Public Health Palliative Care International’s (PHPCI) call on COVID-19. Even though the pandemic has led to the global phenomenon of alienation and isolation, it has also reminded us of the significance of community in our lives.
Twenty leaders of compassionate communities have gathered today for the occasion to formulate the 2021 Taipei City Compassionate Community Action Agenda, which aims at enhancing life literacy, building community values, respecting the wish for a good death, promoting patient autonomy, integrating local culture, encouraging development, enhancing practices, training future leaders, sharing experience and connecting to the world.