Chairman Douglas Tong Hsu’s Speech at the 42nd Anniversary of Far Eastern Memorial Hospital

　Chairman Douglas Hsu was invited to attend the 42nd anniversary celebration of Far Eastern Memorial Hospital. While expressing his appreciation to colleagues, he also encouraged them to have  open mindset and be adaptable to changes so as to overcome challenges brought by the new economy and new technologies in order to achieve excellence.

　When the Founder Y. Z. Hsu decided to establish a hospital in the Banqiao district 42 years ago, people did not respond favorably as the location is remote. Many doctors were reluctant to practice in a different county. However, to better take care of tens of thousands Far Eastern employees, he insisted to build this large and modern hospital here. In the early stage, to incentivize its medical staff, aside from recruiting doctors in Taiwan, he also collaborated with Utah Medical School in the U. S. to introduce foreign doctors. Yet, at that time it was difficult to retain talent with such inconvenience. Thanks to the joint efforts throughout the beginning phase, now Far Eastern Memorial Hospital has developed into New Taipei City’s first Medical Center, not only attracted excellent doctors, but also some doctors who were difficult to make appointments in Taipei City have become resident doctors at our hospital. We have thus promoted the developments of local medical resources, and plan to expand into Taoyuan City in the future.

　The “42 years of age” is the prime period in a lifetime. Before this, the time spent is on learning and accumulating experiences. After that, the developments between the years of 20th to 50th, depend on how you act in the next 3 years. It is similar for the hospital, early on perhaps experience and preparation were not sufficient, and later stage we may lack action force. Therefore, 42 years is a good watershed and milestone.

　While Far Eastern Memorial Hospital gained substantial achievements during the past 42 years, there will still be many challenges ahead. In addition to responding to trend, update organization structure, we should also follow the footprint of Metaverse, smart transformation, and focus on R&D, and continue to innovate. Furthermore, the introduction of new technologies and renovation of equipment may largely increase efficiency but will also intensify the pressure of cost and cash flow. How to achieve the balance, will test the wisdom of the operators. On the other hand, the Hospital must expand service scope to achieve substantial developments. Yet, the selection of location should consider regional development and government expectation. This is also an important topic for us. Of course, there will be no future without talent, in particular due to shortage of medical staff. How to maintain healthcare quality and medical staff benefit, and then engage in talent developments, strengthen the skills and bi-lingual ability of our staff is also a major task. In the meantime, integration of resources is vital. Far Eastern Group affiliated companies have delivered exceptional performances, up-, mid-, and downstream management also goes smoothly, but each company is like a silo. How to strengthen horizontal connection will also be a challenge.

　Facing with all kinds of challenges brought by new economy and new technologies, both enterprises and institutions should review its own structure, examine its position in the industry, draw up short-, mid-, and long-term planning and targets, and execute precisely. Most importantly, do not fear competition, this is an opportunity for practice and process for improvement. Only through competition, it can obtain continuous growth.

　Finally, thank you for the joint endeavor, driving Far Eastern Memorial Hospital to reach its scale and position. To mark the 42nd anniversary, we should not only celebrate past achievements, but also deal with future challenges. I am confident that with your efforts and wisdom, you may overcome all difficulties, and continue to make greater contributions to safeguard people’s health.

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