Three hundred and sixty-five medical professionals from 19 countries gathered at Hualien Jing Si Hall for the 2009 Annual TIMA Convention. All participants took the opportunity to learn from each other and cultivate humanized medicine.

Doctors from various countries who came for the 2009 Annual TIMA Convention participated in the simulated surgical training.

A total of 365 participants from 19 countries gathered at Hualien Jing Si Hall for the 2009 Annual TIMA Convention.

TIMA members learning about recycling because they also have the responsibility to protect the earth.

A thanksgiving ceremony was held before the surgical simulation training began.

The 2009 Annual TIMA Convention took place at Hualien Jing Si Hall from October 1-4, 2009. It was attended by 365 medical professionals from 19 countries, including 32 from Central, South and East Malaysia. The theme for this Convention was "Upholding the medical culture of humanity and living life to its fullest".

Every year, the annual TIMA Convention coincides with the Mid-Autumn Festival. Medical volunteers from all over the world take the opportunity to gather at Hualien, Taiwan, to give talks on specific medical topics, discuss pertinent issues, and share their experiences with medical professionals from other countries.

This year, some 30 medical professionals from Mainland China attended the Annual Convention after overcoming numerous difficulties. Sadly there were fewer participants from Indonesia and the Philippines due to the respective earthquake and typhoon disasters in their homelands.

More than 600 volunteers were mobilized to serve the international visitors.

The Annual TIMA Convention not only provides an interaction on medical skills, but more importantly, it enables the participants to learn from each other about the quality of humanitarian medical aid.

The great sacrifice of silent Mentors

The agenda included surgical simulation on eight donated cadavers. Before the simulated operations were carried out, the Superintendents of Tzu Chi Hospitals visited the family members of all the eight donors, to express their utmost gratitude. Though the length of life was different for each cadaver, they had, nevertheless, shared the same benevolent and selfless spirit by utilizing their bodies to create immeasurable values.

All TIMA participants were also given the opportunity to meet up with the family members. Each of the donors, has undoubtedly, left behind a legacy of selfless love to empower their families to carry on.

Dr Cai Ri An and Dr Siti Zubaidah Sharif - two representatives from Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu (Sabah) - found the simulated operations a fruitful and beneficial experience. Both expressed that it was more than a mere medical training, and they praised the cadavers for their spirit of selflessness.

Dr Tan Kok Neang of University Hospital in Kuala Lumpur mentioned that in the Anatomy course he attended while in college, he did not know the background of the cadaver, or that of the individual body parts, that he dissected. At the end of the semester, the body parts were all immersed in formalin, sometimes even held down with bricks. He bitterly regretted ever having done this.

Dr Tang Xiao Man of General Hospital in KL was excited to have participated in the training of Transaxillary Laparoscopy Thyroidectomy. Seeing the cadavers lying in the operation theatre-like simulation room, she was deeply touched by the donors who had made the supreme sacrifice for medical studies.

Funeral for the silent mentors

Tzu Chi University's Chancellor, Medical College's professors, medical students, nurses, convention's participants and Tzu Chi volunteers gave the silent mentors their last respect with a 90 degree bow before the funeral cars took off.

Jocelyn Goh, a nutritionist from Kuching, could not hold back her tears as she spotted these wordings on the hearse - Sacrifice for Education. She learned that the truest meaning of life is nothing but to be altruistic.

On the last day of the TIMA Convention, a Thanksgiving Musical Concert was held in the evening. Famous singers used their voices to express their utmost gratitude and memories towards the silent mentors and awaken the kind thoughts that had already been forgotten in many people's minds.

Four former medical students, who are now practicing physicians, shared that the assuring words from their silent mentor's wife had enabled them to progress steadily on the path of medicine. She said, "Don't worry, children, my husband was a good man. He would surely allow you to practise on him."

We have only gratitude

Dr. Shao Jie, a Paediatrician from China Mainland, shared with the attendees that her son asked her through the phone, what thought came into her mind when she closed her palm to pray.
 
Dr Shao told her son, "My mind was at its calmest and most natural state. I even forgot about my job, my religion, my status and so on." At the Convention, Dr Shao had also learned to be grateful to her parents, the air, the sunlight, and many other things that she had forgotten when life was very busy.

On the other hand, Dr Jin Zheng Ming, who knew Tzu Chi eight years ago because of a bone marrow transplant case, said he used to be very arrogant. On one occasion, he went to Taiwan to collect the bone marrow but was caught up in a typhoon. Fortunately, he managed to catch the last flight to China through the assistance of Tzu Chi volunteers and this had successfully saved the patient's life. He was deeply touched and had learned to be grateful to his patients. He promised to implement and spread what he had learned in the last few days to benefit society.

The Annual TIMA Convention carries and passes on its philosophy of humanity in medicine, which embodies the Tzu Chi spirit of love and gratitude. It is expected that medical professionals do not only possess the necessary medical skills, but also live their lives to the fullest to benefit mankind.