Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Philippines

Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Philippines The Buddhist Tzu Chi Eye Center Philippines is a non-profit ambulatory surgical clinic for the poor. At that time, Hualien was undeveloped and impoverished.
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About Tzu Chi

Tzu Chi is a non-profit charitable organization founded by the Buddhist nun Dharma Master Cheng Yen in Hualien, Taiwan in 1966. The master and her disciples sewed baby shoes, made candles and encouraged their followers to save 0.30 NT$ every day for charity. During her charity visits, Dharma Master Cheng Yen realized that many families became poor due to illness or vice versa. She

concluded that, to end poverty, illness needed to be taken care of first. She founded a free clinic in 1972 which provided medical services to the poor twice a week and then set out to build a hospital. Today, the Master’s compassion has resulted in the establishment of seven Tzu Chi hospitals across Taiwan. Shortly after a local Tzu Chi chapter was established in the Philippines in 1995, a group of Tzu Chi volunteers and local doctors held a free clinic in Baguio. Thus begun Tzu Chi’s medical work in the country. In 2007, the Tzu Chi Clinic was established in Bacood, Sta. Mesa. It offered free dental and eye care services to indigent patients from across the Philippines. In 2016, the establishment underwent renovation and was renamed to Tzu Chi Eye Center. Today, it is a three-floor structure that features four operating rooms that are equipped with the most advanced ophthalmic technology, and diagnostic rooms as well as a roster of ophthalmologists from a variety of sub specializations. In 2019, the Tzu Chi Eye Center received its accreditation from the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).

"Will I still be able to have my surgery?" This was the question weighing on Efraim Flores' mind on April 11, as he watc...
24/04/2026

"Will I still be able to have my surgery?" This was the question weighing on Efraim Flores' mind on April 11, as he watched his fellow Quezon City residents leave the operating room one after the other, with restored eyesight. They comprise the first batch of patients to benefit from a surgical project between the Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Philippines Inc. and the Quezon City Ladies Foundation Inc.

64-year-old Efraim had a bent spine - a result of years of hard labor in a factory. It made lying supine on a standard operating table nearly impossible. Luckily, a special gift from years ago was waiting to meet his need: a special operating bed donated to the Tzu Chi Eye Center by one of its staunch supporters. Because this surgical bed can be configured according to the patient's needs, Efraim’s surgery proceeded seamlessly. Minutes later, Efraim sat up and looked back to thank his surgeon, Dr. Jessica Daza, with a grin.

“It was such a great help!" Efraim said, laughing in relief. "No matter how bent your spine is, the bed can adjust to it. I was very comfortable [throughout the surgery]."

Every contribution to Tzu Chi Eye Center's mission eventually finds the exact person who needs it most. We are grateful to the unsung heroes behind our programs. Your generous donations and support provides patients, regardless of their condition, a space to receive treatment with the comfort and dignity they deserve. 💖

The Tzu Chi community holds housewives in high esteem for their significant role in the organization’s founding. Sixty y...
23/04/2026

The Tzu Chi community holds housewives in high esteem for their significant role in the organization’s founding. Sixty years ago, Buddhist nun Dharma Master Cheng Yen encouraged her followers, who are mostly housewives, to save $0.50 NT daily in bamboo coin banks. This movement eventually grew into a global mission to serve the poor, the sick, and disaster victims.

This is why at the recent surgical project with the Quezon City Ladies Foundation Inc., it was heartwarming to witness housewives and female leaders working alongside our volunteer surgeons and non-medical volunteers.

On April 11, Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Philippines President Dr. Antonio Say, Tzu Chi Eye Center Medical Director Dr. Bernardita Navarro, and Deputy Medical Director Dr. Susan Lapid-Lim performed cataract and pterygium operations for Quezon City patients. They were joined by Dr. Alex Sua, Dr. Catherine Fernandez, Dr. John Solamo, Dr. Elenor Aquino-Alegre, Dr. Jessica Daza, Dr. Daniel Jose Mendoza, Dr. Vincent Bernal, and Dr. Oscar Acopiado.

While they attended to the medical needs of the patients, Tzu Chi and QCLFI volunteers worked behind the scene, assisting patients before and after the surgery.

Watching the patients transform from the helpless individuals she met during home visitations into the radiant and vivacious people who walked out of the operating room was almost miraculous for QCLFI District 2 volunteer Ine Ramos-Servidad. “This is such a huge help to us, to our community, and to our residents,” she said. “I am very happy that we were able to help, and that we met Tzu Chi.”

Another volunteer, Tin Tin Saguitin, was impressed by the way Tzu Chi cared for its patients, who mostly came from underprivileged families. “Even the (intraocular) lens — I was surprised that it was from the U.S.! It’s really quality service and that was the most touching part: to realize that an organization like this exists,” she said.

QCLFI Executive Vice President Carmencita Medalla agreed: "We are very thankful to Tzu Chi, and to Ladies Foundation, too, for giving us the opportunity to work, to be part of their [patients’] life, to help make them join society again, and be better citizens."

"If we are mindful, the truth will be near us; otherwise, the truth is distant."
23/04/2026

"If we are mindful, the truth will be near us; otherwise, the truth is distant."

Fifty-two Quezon City residents successfully underwent cataract and pterygium surgeries at the Tzu Chi Eye Center in Sta...
22/04/2026

Fifty-two Quezon City residents successfully underwent cataract and pterygium surgeries at the Tzu Chi Eye Center in Sta. Mesa, Manila on April 11. They comprise the first batch of patients assisted by the Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Philippines Inc. and the Quezon City Ladies Foundation Inc. through a memorandum of agreement signed on February 27.

The patients came from across Quezon City’s six districts and were identified by QCLFI volunteers, who are composed of the wives of the city’s government officials as well as female city leaders, through home visitations. The QCLFI volunteers also did the legwork to connect the patients with the city government hospitals for their pre-surgery laboratory needs and medical clearances, as well as provided transportation on the day of the eye screening and surgery.

“We are so lucky!” reflected one of the patient beneficiaries, 69-year-old Lorna Harrison. “Everything was free — the transportation, the laboratories, and then the services here in Tzu Chi were sponsored.”

Another patient, 52-year-old street sweeper Emelinda Acosta, agreed. “Without this project, we wouldn’t have the chance to undergo surgery,” she said.

Teodora Pascual, 70, said she barely slept the night before the scheduled operation day out of excitement. “I was up as early as 3:00 am. By four a.m., we were already waiting at the meetup place,” she shared.

After her cataract surgery, she happily said: “The process had been efficient, the service had been excellent, and the process fast. Starting today, I never have to worry about the difficulty of a poor vision anymore.”

When hearts unite for a good cause, miracles happen. As these patients return to their homes with restored sight, we are reminded that the greatest gift we can give is the opportunity for a better life. May this partnership continue to sow seeds of kindness across Quezon City... and beyond.

READ FULL STORY: https://medium.com//tzu-chi-quezon-city-housewives-light-up-patients-lives-8c90abc90a4b

"Sometimes, people forget to be kind when they are busy. Don't take it to heart."
19/04/2026

"Sometimes, people forget to be kind when they are busy. Don't take it to heart."

18/04/2026

Tzu Chi Eye Center and Dagupan City government's surgical partnership continues to benefit many elderly Dagupeños.

"Every place is an ideal training ground for spiritual cultivation."
16/04/2026

"Every place is an ideal training ground for spiritual cultivation."

15/04/2026

The Philippine Tzu Chi Eye Center team returned to Cambodia on March 27 to extend much-needed care to the residents of Pursat Province. The team served 130 patients on the first of the three-day free clinic organized by Tzu Chi International Medical Association.

Tzu Chi Eye Center Philippines' volunteer surgeons led Asia’s first Orbital Neuronavigation Cadaveric workshop. On April...
14/04/2026

Tzu Chi Eye Center Philippines' volunteer surgeons led Asia’s first Orbital Neuronavigation Cadaveric workshop.

On April 10, Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Philippines President and Cardinal Santos Medical Center (CSMC) Chief Medical Officer Dr. Antonio Say, retina specialist and CSMC Department of Ophthalmology Chairman Dr. Carlo Nasol, and orbit specialist Dr. Alex Sua spearheaded the Philippine Orbital Neuronavigation training program held at the Philippine Center for Advanced Surgery in CSMC. Over 30 ophthalmologists from various local hospitals, including the Philippine General Hospital, East Avenue Medical Center, CSMC, Makati Medical Center, and Rizal Medical Center, participated.

The workshop featured morning lectures by ophthalmologists, neurosurgeons, and ENT surgeons, who presented different approaches to orbital operations using image-guided surgical navigation system (IGSN), including endonasal endoscopy to manage orbital lesions. The afternoon session provided participants a hands-on experience in using the IGSN on body donors through CSMC’s Silent Mentor Program.

Workshop Course Director Dr. Sua said that with spaces as narrow as half of a millimeter to one, the orbit, or eye socket, is one of the most challenging areas to operate on. Using IGSN, however, surgeons can create a digital map of the patient’s eye and identify the precise location of a tumor, or a minimally invasive route to perform a surgical procedure. The 3D imaging also allows tracking of surgical instruments relative to the patient’s anatomy with precise accuracy, enabling surgeons to perform operations without harming other important eye structures.

In the Philippines, IGSN is more commonly used for brain and spine cases. However, Dr. Sua had enough experience utilizing it for orbital operations from his training in America. Hence, when he discovered that CSMC had this technology, he had already used it to operate on several patients, including two Tzu Chi patients suffering from thyroid eye disease. He also lobbied to allow more orbit surgeons to learn how to use it, leading to this historic workshop.

READ FULL STORY: https://tinyurl.com/33kr5wyv

"When evil thoughts arise, think calmly: if it is another's mistake, why punish myself for it?"
12/04/2026

"When evil thoughts arise, think calmly: if it is another's mistake, why punish myself for it?"

"One who has a clear and firm direction in life has no need to compete with others."
09/04/2026

"One who has a clear and firm direction in life has no need to compete with others."

08/04/2026

Jenmel Arambulo lost seven years of her youth because of cataracts in both eyes. Now 21 years old, hope peeked from the horizon when her mother discovered the Tzu Chi Eye Center in Sta. Mesa, Manila.

Address

1000 Cordillera Street Corner Lubiran Street, Bacood, Sta. Mesa
Manila
1016

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm
Saturday 8am - 5pm

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