The world of Tzu Chi October 2020 (Vol.127)

TZU CHI 127 15 when she was studying at the International Medical University (IMU). On a visit to Taman Sinar Harapan Kuala Kubu Bharu (KKB), a home for people with disabilities, she witnessed the Tzu Chi volunteers, regardless of their status, sweating in their uniforms and serving the residents. This assured her that this was the kind of group she wanted to be a part of. Subsequently, she and a group of like-minded friends started a Tzu Chi Collegiate Youth Club. The sight of Dr. Ng Poh Yin and Dr. Tan Hooi Chien of Tzu Chi International Medical Association (TIMA) humbling themselves to do recycling impressed her deeply, and she wished that she could also join the rank of an “ordinary” doctor one day. Getting to know Master Cheng Yen and involving herself in Tzu Chi’s activities during undergraduate days have played a vital role in shaping her life’s value. “As Master always says, those who are capable of helping should reach out to those who are in need of help; those who are rich should help the poor. I’ve found my mission in life, it’s more than being a happy doctor in Scotland. So, if that’s the case, I don’t see the reason for holding it off.” Rushing to Mozambique in the aftermath of Cyclone Idai In November 2018, Karmen went to Taiwan for a Tzu Chi’s event. By chance, she met Denise, who had been living in Mozambique for years. When Denise mentioned the severe shortage of medical resources in the area and a great need for physicians, Karmen revealed her wish to Master Cheng Yen that she would like to move to Mozambique one day to practise medicine there. To her, this was the perfect path for her to integrate her career together with the voluntary mission. In March 2019, Cyclone Idai struck three East African countries. Upon hearing the news, Karmen was eager to be part of the relief effort. However, it was nearing the end of her specialist training in family medicine and it was a crucial stage for her to gain the position as attending physician. Then, after watching the heart-rending situation in Mozambique on Da Ai TV, and with her mindset of “whatever that is right, just do it”, she did the necessary and embarked on a 33-hour flight from northern Scotland to the hard-hit Beira City. Although Beira is the fourth largest city in Mozambique and has the second- largest hospital in the country, it is still pretty backwards. From Beira to the villages of Tica and Lamego, the conditions and standard of living of the villagers were unthinkable to her. “I had lived in India for seven months, and had gone to the countryside with a team of volunteers. I thought I had met some of the most miserable people in the world. But coming to Mozambique had redefined poverty at a whole new level for me.” According to theDean of Health Sciences at the Catholic University of Mozambique, about 300 medical students graduated each year in Mozambique. However, due to the country’s limited resources, only 40 residency slots are open each year. As a result, at least 250 medical graduates are unemployed each year. Some of them even end up becoming businessmen or workers because they have not been able to find a job even years later. With the lack of medical resources, patients have to wait for a long time for Transforming Africa With Love