To fulfil its mandate in launching and promoting international medicine exchange and cooperation, Tri-Service General Hospital (TSGH) has organized a medical team to set foot on Ulaanbaatar City of the Mongolian Peoples’ Republic for volunteer healthcare services and medical exchange with Mongolian hospitals in the region. During the course of TSGH medical team’s volunteer healthcare services, Amar’s father escorted the young boy to the volunteer healthcare venue and enquired for more information of TSGH team’s free medical services. With the assistance from local interpreters, TSGH medical team members have learned that Amar has sustained injuries shortly after his birth and as a result has tibia and fibula fractures in his right leg. Local medical doctors in Mongolia have attempted to treat Amar’s fractures without success and left Amar with poor healing after bone fracture. Several attempts to ameliorate Amar’s medical conditions have failed one time after another to improve the boy’s conditions and consequently resulted in leg length discrepancy between his right and left legs. Amar and his father came in for TSGH medical team’s volunteer healthcare and expertise to see whether it’s possible that Amar can stand on his feet and even walk and run again in the future.

After a thorough clinical evaluation by clinical team of Tri-Service General Hospital, Amar, the Mongolian boy seeking care in the Taipei-based military medical center was diagnosed to have suffered from congenital pseudoarthrosis of tibia (CPT), a rare medical condition that has caused leg length discrepancy of 15 centimeters between his right and left legs. Taking account of financial condition of the boy’s family and to fulfill the hospital’s duties as a responsible stakeholder in the global village, Tri-Service General Hospital decided to provide pro bono medical care and arranged the Mongolian boy to undergo surgical and rehabilitative treatment in TSGH of Taiwan in November, 2018.

Dr. Chih-Chien, Wang, attending surgeon of TSGH Orthopedic Department stated that children with congenital pseudoarthrosis of tibia (CPT) are prone to encounter poor healing after bone fracture incidences. Considering physical growth needs of CPT child patients, TSGH orthopedic team has decided that it’s in the best interest of patients if the surgical interventions are separated into multiple stages in order to achieve the best possible clinical outcome for such patients. Furthermore, by adopting 3D printing technologies, medical staffs of TSGH can more easily and clearly articulate and explain medical conditions to patients and their family in a more visual and straightforward way. 3D printing technologies also allow surgical team to rehearse and simulate multiple times before actual surgical operations by means of surgical guides and models so that surgical team members will be more familiar with actual surgical procedures to eliminate potential shortfalls or discrepancies in operations and shorten surgical operations timelines, for the benefit both to patients and medical team.

After the successful completion of surgical procedures to treat Amar’s congenital pseudoarthrosis of tibia (CPT), medical team members of TSGH Orthopedic Department arranged a warm farewell party for the Mongolian boy to celebrate the boy’s new lease of life with the assistance and compassion from TSGH medical staffs. The farewell party was attended by Dr. Chien-Sung, Tsai, Superintendent of Tri-Service General Hospital with celebratory cake-cutting, souvenirs and well-wishing cards presenting, school bag and protective gears giving featured in the party aimed at conveying best wishes from TSGH staffs and hoping for the boy’s speedy recovery.

Dr. Chien-Sung, Tsai, Superintendent of Tri-Service General Hospital stated that cooperation between TSGH and Trauma Hospital of Ulaanbaatar has not only achieved the objective of “Medicine without Borders” in treating and healing Amar’s medical condition but only allowed countries around the world to witness capability and compassionate care of medical community in Taiwan. Such mutually beneficially cooperation in medicine is a quantum leap of Taiwan’s effort in humanitarian medical diplomacy that wins hearts and minds from people around the globe.