Guatemalan Patient Travels to Taiwan’s Min-Sheng Hospital for Corrective Kyphoscoliosis Surgery

Taoyuan City, Taiwan, January 14, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Sabrina is no stranger to hospitals and delicate surgeries. Born with several congenital anomalies, Sabrina had life-saving surgery performed to correct esophageal atresia only a few hours after her birth. Three years later her parents took her to The Children’s Hospital of Minneapolis (USA) for a lumbar spinal fusion, the first step to rectify her kyphoscoliosis.

Now nearly seventeen, Sabrina’s has stopped growing and it is time to perform a new surgery to correct the kyphoscoliosis that got worse due to her congenital hemivertebrae. If not performed soon, her spine will be too rigid to hope for any improvement, and her condition could deteriorate as to make it difficult for her to breathe unassisted.

Sabrina’s parents had been preparing for this ever since she left the hospital after her surgery in the US, painstakingly saving for the day they would have to travel abroad again to give their daughter the chance to live a more comfortable life. There aren’t many experienced surgeons specializing in scoliosis procedures throughout the world and none in Guatemala where the family is from.

They first contacted hospitals in America, but the prices quoted were so high that the family had to abandon that option. Despairing to ever find a more affordable solution, Sabrina’s parent’s started looking for specialists in other countries. Her father, himself a doctor in Guatemala, eventually read about Professor Chen Po-Quang’s work and research and decided to contact him at Min-Sheng Hospital in Taiwan.

Professor Chen referred the case to Min-Sheng’s International Healthcare Department (IHC) that immediately contacted the patient’s family and organized their trip. The case involved more than just assembling a team of top specialists to perform the surgery. Accommodation for the family had to be found near the hospital for the month long recovery, visas had to be obtained, and logistics had to be coordinated.

A few weeks later Sabrina and her family were met at Taoyuan International Airport by IHC staff, and taken to their new quarters. A couple of days later she was admitted at Min-Sheng Hospital and started the process that would change her life. The surgery performed by Professor Chen Po-Quang, Dr. Wu Chung-Ting the Director of the Orthopedic Department, and their team was very successful. Sabrina is a courageous and strong girl, and she recovered quickly. The family was very impressed with the quality of care that Sabrina received a Min-Sheng Hospital and the friendliness of the Taiwanese. They were grateful to the doctors, the nursing staff, and all the people who helped make this a wonderful experience.

Soon after Christmas, Sabrina flew back to Guatemala, a little taller, her back straighter, and with the promise of a more comfortable life.

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About Min-Sheng Hospital:
Min-Sheng Hospital is a 600-beds tertiary hospital located in Taoyuan, Taiwan, near the international airport. It was the first hospital in Taiwan to receive the international JCI accreditation and is active in the field of international health care having a department (IHC) dedicated to those patients. Min-Sheng hospital specializes in minimally invasive surgeries, bariatric, cardiac, orthopedic and urologic.