Скачать или смотреть Chiayi mobile health clinic offers screenings to catch health issues early

Local residents in Chiayi are being urged to avail themselves of free health screenings. Getting health-checked can help to detect issues early, giving patients the best chance of a full recovery. Chiayi''s mobile health service offers free health checkups, touring local communities every year, but many residents are daunted by the tests, perhaps thinking that ignorance is bliss. Two local ambassadors for the program want to change that. Through the checkups, they were diagnosed with serious health issues, which meant they could get treated and enjoy a full recovery. Our reporter in Chiayi was there to hear their stories.

Ho Ching-chuan runs a clothes stall in Chiayi. But if you listen closely to his in-store microphone, you''ll hear a very different message to what you might expect.

Ho Ching-chuan
Chiayi County resident
The county government is offering health checks. A medical van has come to give checkups, so go and take them up on it.

He''s not nudging customers toward the till. Instead, Ho uses his public presence to urge people to take care of themselves, and in particular, to get regular health checks.

Ho Ching-chuan
Chiayi County resident
I want to use the short time I have, maybe just two minutes, one minute, three minutes, to touch them. I show them my belly like this, and I tell them, "This is the price I paid, so that''s why I know we need to get checkups."

Ho is a survivor of liver cancer. One day years ago, he spotted a Chiayi County postcard advertising health checks. That card saved his life.

Ho Ching-chuan
Chiayi County resident
When I got that postcard, I just looked at it and thought "I don''t need a check." But actually, I was scared at the thought of it. My son saw the card and he said, "Dad, you must go and do it."

He took his son''s advice and got some screenings done at a mobile health clinic. That was how he found out he had liver cancer. Now, after successful treatment, he''s got a fresh start.

Ho Ching-chuan
Chiayi County resident
There are hundreds of volunteers there, giving us the chance to have this free checkup done. We feel so lucky. So that''s why I try to give my neighbors information about health issues, so they can have a healthy body.

The mobile health system in Chiayi was also there for 70-year-old Lin Chieh林節, when they found an abnormality in her tests. It''s hard to believe she was diagnosed with hepatitis C so recently - now she''s as fit as a fiddle.

Lin Chieh
Chiayi County resident
So I went to get tested, and - oh my goodness - the doctor said they found thousands of viruses. But if they find it early they can treat it early, so it can''t hurt you.

That''s the point - a quick screening can end up saving a life. Lin feels stronger than ever and has thrown herself back into community life with a vengeance. She''s become a passionate advocate for regular health checks.

Chen Ing-shu
Chiayi County resident
The screening station comes to the community every year. The Public Health Bureau comes too, and Lin Chieh is there to encourage people to take part.

It''s local citizens like Ho and Lin who are the best ambassadors for the program. They know that while getting the test might be a bit nerve-wracking, getting the help they needed at the right time means they can now enjoy life fully again, hopefully for many years to come.