Chang Gung Memorial Hospital was established in 1976 when Taiwan's medical facilities were severely inadequate, with an average of 19 beds per 10,000 people, far from the 40 beds per 10,000 people in modern countries. As a result, we set up hospitals in Taipei, Linkou, Keelung, Kaohsiung, Taoyuan, Chiayi and Yunlin, treating more than 31,500 patients daily and having 9,000 beds. It is one of the largest, best-equipped and best-performing general hospitals in the Far East. In 1993 and 1994, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital established a paediatric medical centre with 800 beds in Linkou and Kaohsiung respectively, in order to provide more specialised medical services for young children. In addition, to make the most effective use of medical resources, we established a nursing home in early 2001, and in December 2003, we set up the Taoyuan Chang Gung Hospital, which combines acute and chronic care, developing sub-acute, chronic care and long-term care, vertically integrating them into a complete medical system and providing comprehensive medical care to the public.
At the same time, in response to the ageing society, we opened the Wellness Culture Village in January 2005 to provide the elderly population with a community where they can continue to live out their twilight years, as the proportion of the elderly population aged over 65 has exceeded 12.5%. In addition, to promote Chinese medical culture and to integrate the modern and scientific techniques and methods of Western medicine, we have pioneered the establishment of a Chinese medicine department in our medical centre level hospitals and are moving towards the goal of providing integrated Chinese and Western medicine. To enhance our medical services, we have established a Cancer Centre, a specialist medical centre with a focus on critical illnesses, and invested billions of dollars to set up the Yung-Ching Advanced Medical Park at Linkou Chang Gung, the largest in Asia and the first Proton and Radiation Therapy Center in Taiwan, which began offering services in November 2015.
- Founder's Words -
Moreover, in order to meet the people's growing demands for medical services, our hospitals were built in Keelung and Kaohsiung following those in Taipei & Linkou.
In the 1970's, Taiwan enjoyed a prospering economy and a rapidly rising living standard. However, despite this increase in the country's wealth, the quality of Taiwan's medical services and the advancement of technologies still lagged significantly behind. Not only were there limited institutions that offered training to the local medical graduate students, those who went abroad for further training also found themselves unable to put to use their acquired skills and knowledge. Thus, the demand for medical services in Taiwan remained unmet.
In pursuit to provide the people of Taiwan with high quality healthcare, Formosa Plastic Group Chairman Yung-Ching Wang and President Yung-Tsai Wang established Chang Gung Memorial.Hospital (CGMH) in 1976 in memory of their father,Mr.Chang-Gung Wang. During the early periods of its establishment, CGMH had played the role as a mediating center that introduced modern medical knowledge and technologies from around the world to Taiwan, now it aspires tobecome a world class medical center. Our physicians, nursing staffs and medical allies work closely as a team to provide our patients with complete physical, psychological and social care.
Moreover, in order to meet the people's growing demands for medical services, our hospitals were built in Keelung and Kaohsiung following those in Taipei & Linkou. Also, Chang-Gung Institute of Nursing and Chang-Gung University were established. The University and the Hospital work effectively together by complementing each other and its collaboration facilitates both basic research and clinical medicine.
Moreover, in order to meet the people's growing demands for medical services, our hospitals were built in Keelung and Kaohsiung following those in Taipei & Linkou. Also, Chang-Gung Institute of Nursing and Chang-Gung University were established. The University and the Hospital work effectively together by complementing each other and its collaboration facilitates both basic research and clinical medicine.Moreover, in order to meet the people's growing demands for medical services, our hospitals were built in Keelung and Kaohsiung following those in Taipei & Linkou. Also, Chang-Gung Institute of Nursing and Chang-Gung University were established. The University and the Hospital work effectively together by complementing each other and its collaboration facilitates both basic research and clinical medicine.
More than 1.2 million people died worldwide in 2019 from infections caused by bacteria resistant to antibiotics, according to the largest study of the issue to date.This is more than the annual death toll from malaria or Aids.
Poorer countries are worst affected but antimicrobial resistance threatens everyone's health, the report says.
Urgent investment in new drugs and using current ones more wisely are recommended to protect against it.
The overuse of antibiotics in recent years for trivial infections means they are becoming less effective against serious infections.
People are dying from common, previously treatable infections because the bacteria that cause them have become resistant to treatment.
The estimate of global deaths from AMR, published in the Lancet, is based on an analysis of 204 countries by a team of international researchers, led by the University of Washington, US.They calculate up to five million people died in 2019 from illnesses in which AMR played a role - on top of the 1.2 million deaths it caused directly.In the same year, Aids (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) is thought to have caused 860,000 deaths and malaria 640,000.
Most of the deaths from AMR were caused by lower respiratory infections, such as pneumonia, and bloodstream infections, which can lead to sepsis.
MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) was particularly deadly, while E. coli, and several other bacteria, were also linked to high levels of drug resistance.Using patient records from hospitals, studies and other data sources, the researchers say young children are at most risk, with about one in five deaths linked to AMR being among the under-fives.
Deaths from AMR were estimated to be:
highest in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, at 24 deaths in every 100,000
lowest in high-income countries, at 13 in every 100,000
Prof Chris Murray, from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, said the new data revealed the true scale of antimicrobial resistance worldwide and was a clear signal immediate action was needed "if we want to stay ahead in the race against antimicrobial resistance.
Other experts say better tracking of resistance levels in different countries and regions is essential.
Dr Ramanan Laxminarayan, from the Centre for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy, in Washington DC, said global spending on addressing AMR needed to rise to levels seen for other diseases.
