The Tzu Chi Eye Center (TCEC) may soon offer corneal transplant after Taiwan’s health and welfare minister offered to share the island state’s technology on the delicate surgical procedure.

In his visit at the TCEC on 27 February, Minister Chung-Liang Shih made the offer so more eye patients in the Philippines can benefit.

Shih lauded the TCEC medical team for their selfless service to the Filipino people.

Dr. Antonio Say, president of the Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Philippines, which runs the TCEC, toured the minister to the medical facility and showed him the advanced clinical and surgical technology used by the center in restoring patients’ sight.

“This is my second visit to the Tzu Chi Eye Center in the Philippines and I am happy to see that it continues to improve. I can say that the Filipinos are very lucky to have this Eye Center and its volunteers,” Shih said, according to the foundation.

Meanwhile, TCEC continues to receive an increasing number of patients seeking treatment for their cataract and other eye problems. They come early in the morning to the facility in Sta. Mesa, Manila, register and wait for their turn to be examined.

Robert Ong, a Tzu Chi volunteer, turn the patients’ waiting time into “wellness time” by guiding them through simple, seated exercises that keep the body moving and the mind sharp.

With his big heart and generosity of spirit, Ong helps ease the patients’ anxiety and keeps them thoughtfully engaged while they wait for their consultations.

With Ong and all other TCEC volunteers, patients get to feel a warm embrace of care and community from the humanitarian organization founded by Buddhist nun Dharma Master Cheng Yen.