Japanese healthcare company visits Min-Sheng General Hospital

A management team from Nichii-Carenet Company, led by its President Mr. Daisuke Terada, visited Min-Sheng General Hospital at the end of a tour of facilities on the Chinese mainland. Nichii Carenet which is part of the publicly listed Nichii Group is one of Japan’s largest healthcare companies, and is active in the manufacturing of medical assisting devices, at-home care services, and facility care services.

The company has embarked in an expansion plan outside Japan and plans to establish an extensive network of long-term care facilities in China within the next five years. The aim of the visit was to discuss possible synergies and ways to cooperate with Min-Sheng in the long-term care business in Taiwan and China. Min-Sheng General Hospital is part of the Missioncare Group that already operates four nursing homes in the Taoyuan area and was recently granted the management rights of another facility in northern China.

Potential benefits of gastric plication in the treatment of obesity discussed at 3rd ADSS

Doctors who recently gathered at Min-Sheng General Hospital for the third Asian Diabetes Surgery Summit (ADSS) discussed the potential benefits and limitations of gastric plication in the treatment of obesity. Although surgical procedures like the gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy have shown excellent results in the long term treatment of obesity, some patients are reluctant to undergo such a procedure which they see as too radical and irreversible (in the case of the gastrectomy).

Until recently, the only option for these patients was the gastric banding, a restrictive procedure that has been used for many years now. Unfortunately, studies have shown that although effective in reducing weight in the couple of years after the band was applied, the gastric banding success rates at five years and beyond dip dramatically. The procedure is also less suitable for Asian patients due to local diets that are rich in soft and semi-liquid foods which pass easily through the restrictive ring.

A gastric plication decreases the size of the stomach without removing sections of the stomach or implanting a restricting device. It decreases the volume of the stomach by folding the stomach inwardly, and suturing the folds, reducing the stomach volume and therefore limiting food intake. It is a relatively new procedure for people who want to reduce their weight, but are uncomfortable with the idea of having a part of their stomach removed or an assisting device implanted. The results following a gastric plication are encouraging; however the long term outcome has yet to be established. Yet, studies undertaken in Taiwan and elsewhere show that the procedure’s long term efficiency is improved when it is coupled with a gastric banding. In other words, the long term outcome is better for a combination of gastric plication and gastric banding than for these procedures when performed individually.

The bariatric center at Min-Sheng General Hospital has successfully performed nearly 4000 bariatric surgeries, and offers both the gastric plication, and a combination of plication and banding as an option for its patients.

Min-Sheng General Hospital to receive Chinese medical tourists

Min-Sheng General Hospital has been granted permission by the Taiwan Department of Health to receive patients from the Chinese mainland for treatment, and to support their application for a medical visa. Although the scheme is theoretically designed for Chinese tourists travelling in groups and those travelling individually, it is likely that most will do so as part of a package tour. In such case, the medical component of the package will only be an add-on, and not the main purpose of the trip to Taiwan.

Personalized service, cutting edge technology, and competitive pricing are a draw for Chinese medical tourists, who will at first mostly seek health screenings, light cosmetic surgery, and anti-aging treatments. However, Min-Sheng hopes to build on its reputation, and experience treating international patients from Europe and North America to attract Chinese patients looking for spine surgery and bariatric surgery.

Global Director of Peers for Progress visits Min-Sheng General Hospital

Professor Edwin B.Fisher, Global Director of Peers for Progress came to Min-Sheng General Hospital to introduce that program, and learn about the initiatives taken by our hospital to support diabetic patients, and help them cope with the management of their disease. Peers for Progress is a program of the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation to promote peer support as a key part of health, health care, and prevention around the world. Peers here refer to people dealing with a similar disease, or condition, who share experiences and can provide practical, social, and emotional support to manage and maintain good behaviors for health.

Even in developed countries, patients suffering from diabetes or depression are often left to deal with a disease or its aftermath by themselves, which can lead to a deterioration of their condition. The availability of a network of people -peers- who understand their predicament and needs can greatly improve the circumstances of these patients. Dr. Fisher who is a professor at the Gillins School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where the Peers for Progress program development center is located, was very impressed with the patient support system put in place by the Diabetes Center at Min-Sheng Hospital since 2005. Initiatives include bi-monthly information sessions, nutrition and body care classes, group exercise classes, and tele-monitoring of patients through Min-Sheng's SmartCare platform.

Min-Sheng General Hospital and Korean University to cooperate on hair transplantation technology.

Min-Sheng General hospital has entered a cooperation agreement with the Hair Transplantation Center of Kyungpook National University Hospital in Korea, to work on developing new cosmetic techniques to address baldness. A team of platic surgeons from Min-Sheng Hospital, lead by the director of the International Healthcare Department Dr. Chen Shing-Han, traveled to Daegu in Korea where they met with Dr. Kim Moonkyu the head of the Hair transplantation Center who has developed new tools to transplant hair follicles.

Plastic surgeons at Min-Sheng have been trained to use these tools and are proficient in the latest hair transplantation techniques. Cosmetic surgery is gaining acceptance among men in far eastern countries, and male patients are increasingly turning to surgical hair implantation to reverse baldness. These procedures normally involve taking a strip of scalp at the base of the hair line, separate the follicles, and implant them in the chosen areas. The whole process is routinely completed in a few hours, and performed under local anesthesia.

Min-Sheng General Hospital to host 2nd Asian Diabetes Surgery Summit

Min-Sheng general Hospital in Taiwan will host the Second Asian Diabetes Surgery Summit (ADSS) July 7, 2010. Diabetes is a pandemic and its effects are particularly felt in Asia where it is putting an ever greater strain on public health care. Bariatric surgery has recently been extended to metabolic surgery because of the associated gut hormone change and Incretin Effect.

Organized by Min-Sheng Hospital's Bariatric & Diabetes Minimally Invasive Surgery Center, the Diabetes Association of the Republic of China, and the Taiwan association for Endoscopic Surgery, the summit will look into the current state of diabetes surgery, and discuss the latest surgical techniques and disease management practices. The summit will also feature a workshop with live surgery demonstrations, including the latest technique, the "duodenum-jejunum bypass + sleeve gastrectomy." Says Professor Lee Wei-Jei, Chaiman of the organizing committee and Honorary President of the Asia Pacific Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Society, "It is an appropriate time for gastro-intestinal metabolic surgeons in asia to get together, learn cutting edge techniques, and share personal and institutional experience in the management of the disease."

The First Asian Diabetes Surgery summit which took place in 2010 led to the launch of a large scale cooperative study of diabetes surgery in Asia. More than two hundred patients have been enrolled and followed up in the study so far, and its findings will be discussed at the second summit.

CEO of Min-Sheng’s International Healthcare Center now also a licensed tour guide

Taiwan is stepping up its effort to attract foreign visitors to its medical facilities, and local travel agents have embraced the concept. Many are now offering packages that combine sightseeing tours of the island with a visit to a hospital or a clinic for a health check up, or a minor cosmetic procedure. Although these travel agents are mostly catering to Chinese tour groups and the Chinese tourists who will soon be allowed to travel individually in Taiwan, they also set up websites in english to tout visitors from other countries.

Foreign patients have been traveling to Min-Sheng General Hospital to seek medical treatment for quite while now, and the hospital has a department dedicated to these patients. The CEO of the International Healthcare Center (IHC) at Min-Sheng, Dr. Chen Shing-Han has long had a keen interest in the integration of the healthcare and hospitality industries, and was the first Medical Doctor in Taiwan to pursue a masters degree in hotel management. He took it a step further by passing the examination to become a licensed tour guide in Taiwan hence gaining credentials to manage most aspects of "medical tourism."