Page 145 - 2019-安寧專刊

Dramatic progress in palliative care in East-Asia

It is my great honor to take this opportunity to express sincere congratulations on the 20th anniversary of the Taiwan Academy of Hospice Palliative Medicine (TAHPM). Palliative care is undoubtfully an essential part of the modern society, and the TAHPM is playing a central role in disseminating high-quality palliative care not only throughout the country but in the Asian and international context.
I personally remember that, in 2013, my friend Prof. Satoru Tsuneto asked me to explore an opportunity to perform an international clinical research in Asian countries. The intention was not to have just a simple social event, but to accomplish an actual academic project. I visited Prof. Tai- Yuan Chiu and A/Prof. Shao-Yi Cheng at the National Taiwan University, and jointly determined to conduct a cross-cultural study. With enormous contribution of the palliative care professionals in Taiwan as well as those in Japan and Korea, we successfully completed an international cross- sectional survey, and published several important papers. This innovative collaboration served as the very first step toward deepening our mutual understanding, and laid the foundation for subsequent cross-cultural studies. Through multiple interactions, it has become obvious that we are on the same ground, and share the same values. I strongly believed this respectful relationship would last long, and now, in 2019, we are completing a multicenter cohort study enrolling over 2,600 patients from Taiwan, Japan, and Korea. Throughout the entire process, we have nurtured our collaborative relationship while respecting differences among ourselves, which I believe is much more valuable than mere academic achievement.
Thus far, our collaboration has been built largely on the personal respectful relationship. Looking forward, I expect that our international collaboration will flourish at multiple levels, not only personal, but also organizational (i.e., TAHPM and the Japanese Society for Palliative Medicine); and involve various fields including clinical (e.g., physical, spiritual), academic, and educational aspects. I have no doubt that the TAHPM will continue to play key roles in making the future of palliative care in East-Asia and the world.
Professor Tatsuya Morita, M.D. Vice president Seirei Mikatahara General Hospital
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Chapter 5
勉勵與祝福