Promotion of Buddhist Clinical Chaplaincy in Hospice Palliative Care in Taiwan

Promotion of Buddhist Clinical Chaplaincy in Hospice Palliative Care in Taiwan.● Rong-Chi Chen [http://www.lotus.org.tw] The caring domain of a physician is from birth to death, from “womb to tomb”. At the end of terminal care, physicians should maintain a religious and holistic spirit of “removal of suffering and provision of happiness” to their patients, as much as he could. Hospice palliative care was introduced into Taiwan in 1990 by the Christian Mackay Memorial Hospital. In 1994 the Buddhist Lotus Hospice Care Foundation (Lotus Foundation) was established. In 1995 a Palliative Care Unit was opened in the National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH). Since more than 70% of the Taiwan population are Buddhist or followers of Buddhism, Buddhist monastics are very much needed in the hospice care. However, there was no training or tradition of Buddhist monastics to participate in the medical care facilities in the past. Since 1998, Lotus Foundation initiated the training program of Buddhist monastics at the NTUH Palliative Unit. Ven. Huimin Bhikshu and Professor Ching-Yu Chen, MD were invited to co-chair the training program. It started the first effort of training Buddhist monastics as chaplains to participate in medical care in the Buddhist history. Many trainees are currently serving in many hospice palliative units as chaplains. In 2007, the trainees joined to establish the “Taiwanese Association of Clinical Buddhist Studies”. Buddhist chaplain became an important team in Taiwan’s hospice care. We are trying to promote the“clinical Buddhist monastics training program” in the curriculum of the College of Buddhism in the university systems. ● References: (1). Chen RC: The spirit of humanism in terminal care: Taiwan experience. Open Area Studies J, 2009; 2: 7-11. [Blog 6/15] (2) Chen CY: Clinical Buddhist chaplain based spiritual care in Taiwan. Taiwan Hosp Pall Care 2012; 17: 300-309. [Blog 6/14] (3). Huimin B: The role of mindfulness in hospice & palliative care in Taiwan. Taiwan J Hosp Pall Care 2012; 17: 200-209. [Blog 6/13] (4) Watts JS, Tomatsu Y. The development of indigenous hospice care and clinical Buddhism in Taiwan. In: Watts JS, Tomatsu Y. (Eds) Buddhist Care for the Dying and Bereaved in the Modern World. Boston: Wisdom Publ 2012: 111-129.