-Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital-

Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital (KMUH) has been awarded the Grand Prize in the Public Welfare Promotion Category at the 2026 Second Global Views Monthly ESG Healthcare Sustainability Awards for its long-running initiative, “Thirty Years of Commitment: Sustaining Health in Indigenous Communities.” The award, one of the highest distinctions in the healthcare public welfare category, was accepted on behalf of KMUH by Vice Superintendent Chia-Yen Tai.

Organized by Global Views Monthly, the Global Views Monthly ESG Healthcare Sustainability Awards are among Taiwan’s most prestigious recognitions for healthcare sustainability. The Public Welfare Promotion Category honors healthcare institutions that demonstrate outstanding achievements in community health promotion, preventive care, support for vulnerable populations, and efforts to reduce health disparities.

KMUH earned the judges’ recognition through more than three decades of sustained commitment to improving healthcare access and outcomes in Taiwan’s indigenous and remote mountain communities.

For over 30 years, KMUH has provided comprehensive healthcare services in the remote districts of Taoyuan, Namasia, and Maolin in Kaohsiung. These services include specialty care, acute medical services, health screenings, chronic disease management, and health promotion programs. Through long-term partnerships with local tribal communities and public health centers, KMUH has established a trusted and resilient healthcare network tailored to local needs.

Rather than providing short-term medical outreach, KMUH has focused on building a sustainable healthcare model that integrates the expertise of a major academic medical center with local primary healthcare resources. This approach has transformed healthcare delivery from episodic intervention into long-term companionship and support, helping narrow urban-rural healthcare gaps and strengthening healthcare resilience in underserved regions.

The judging panel highlighted KMUH’s success in embedding public welfare initiatives into its ESG governance and sustainability framework, ensuring that community healthcare programs become institutionalized and sustainable rather than one-time charitable efforts.

Particular recognition was given to KMUH’s tele-ultrasound training programs and health center empowerment initiatives, which enhance diagnostic capabilities among frontline physicians in remote areas and enable medical center-level expertise to reach underserved communities. The hospital has also integrated funding from hospital resources, educational programs, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) partnerships to overcome financial limitations associated with Taiwan’s Integrated Delivery System (IDS) for remote-area healthcare.

Through regional collaboration, workforce development, and data-driven healthcare management, KMUH continues to advance health equity and sustainable healthcare development.

Superintendent Jaw-Yuan Wang expressed his gratitude for the recognition of KMUH’s longstanding commitment to indigenous healthcare.

“For more than three decades, KMUH has entered indigenous communities not to pursue short-term achievements, but to build relationships grounded in companionship, trust, and responsibility,” he said. “The true foundation of sustainable healthcare lies not only in resources, but in establishing systems and service models that can endure and continue to benefit future generations.”

He emphasized that KMUH has formally incorporated indigenous healthcare into its organizational governance and sustainability strategy, ensuring that the efforts of frontline healthcare professionals are supported and sustained over time.

“This award is not only an honor, but also a responsibility that motivates us to continue moving forward,” he added.

Representing KMUH at the award ceremony, Vice Superintendent Chia-Yen Tai noted that healthcare in indigenous communities is not a short-term project but a long-term commitment requiring persistence and partnership.

“After more than thirty years of working alongside indigenous communities, protecting and promoting their health has become part of KMUH’s DNA,” he said. “This award belongs to every healthcare professional who has dedicated themselves to serving these communities over the years, often without recognition. It is a powerful affirmation of their commitment and mission.”

In the future, KMUH will continue strengthening collaboration with indigenous communities, local public health centers, and interdisciplinary partners. By integrating clinical expertise, public health strategies, and ESG principles, the hospital aims to further expand healthcare services, enhance accessibility, and build a more equitable, resilient, and sustainable healthcare system that safeguards the health of future generations while advancing health equity throughout Taiwan.

▲At the 2026 Second Global Views Monthly ESG Healthcare Sustainability Awards ceremony, KMUH received the Grand Prize in the Public Welfare Promotion Category for its “Thirty Years of Commitment: Sustaining Health in Indigenous Communities” initiative. The award was accepted by Vice Superintendent Chia-Yen Tai (right), recognizing KMUH’s long-term dedication to indigenous healthcare and health equity.

▲Superintendent Jaw-Yuan Wang (left) has participated in mountain-area healthcare services since 2000, supporting specialty clinics and weekend outreach programs. For 13 consecutive years, he gave up Lunar New Year holidays with his family to remain on duty at indigenous community health centers.

▲KMUH healthcare teams regularly travel to remote indigenous communities to conduct health screening programs, providing chronic disease assessments, health consultations, and preventive care services. Through proactive health management, the hospital improves healthcare accessibility and early disease detection in underserved areas.

▲Vice Superintendent Chia-Yen Tai (seated) has long supported hepatobiliary and gastroenterology specialty clinics in indigenous community health centers in Kaohsiung. Through telemedicine and local workforce training programs, he has helped strengthen primary healthcare capacity in remote areas.

▲KMUH actively promotes health literacy education in indigenous schools, helping students develop healthy lifestyles, disease prevention awareness, and self-care skills through school-based outreach and health education programs.

▲Following the devastation caused by Typhoon Morakot in 2009, KMUH medical teams rapidly deployed to affected communities to provide emergency medical services and post-disaster healthcare support, demonstrating their commitment and resilience in protecting lives and accompanying indigenous communities through times of crisis.

Related Media Coverage:
https://youtu.be/MY9yua0CogA?si=blxBIpo_wd2CFtIv