Tzu Chi International Medical Association of Canada
Tzu
Chi International Medical Association (TIMA) was founded in 1996. TIMA currently has members in 20 countries across the world. They mainly help patients with financial difficulties, but they will also help Tzu Chi disaster relief teams with medical aid whenever and wherever there is a catastrophe. TIMA’s mission is to treat and help ill people who also have financial difficulties. Up to 2012, TIMA had held over 10,000 sessions of free medical consultation in 44 countries, benefiting over 2,200,000 people worldwide with love and care.
TIMA not just provides free medical consultation services, but the most important motivates more and more medical professionals to serve disadvantaged ill people. TIMA encourages local medical professionals to participate in these medical consultations and get local volunteers to help with translation work. TIMA also appreciates any donation of medication and medical equipment. TIMA hopes to achieve the goal of “popularization of medical services” through “community based” and “localized” participation in medical consultation.
Philosophy
TIMA of Canada is a volunteer team made up of Canadian medical professionals and administration staff. TIMA of Canada provides non-profit medical consultation services and humanitarian medical assistance worldwide inspired by the Buddhist spirit of “unconditional loving kindness and universal compassion” and Master Cheng Yen’s teaching of “humanistic medicine” and “love transcends all boundaries.
Mission
“Guarding health, guarding life and guarding love” is the responsibility and mission of every single TIMA member. Spirit of “Gratitude, respect and love”, promoted and practised by Tzu Chi is the best remedy to guard people’s body health and mind health. TIMA of Canada strives to cure people, cure illness and cure heart following the teaching of “Respect of life”. They approach isolated communities, villages, mountain areas and islands in every corner of the world where people do not have regular access to medical services.
Goal
To provide high quality medical services and care to disadvantaged people regardless of age, gender, ethnics and religion; to provide preventative medical education to the public; to raise the public’s awareness of preventative medical care and related health issues; and to provide emergency medical assistance at times of catastrophe.
Vision
To take care of disadvantaged ill people in Canada; to cooperate with other TIMA teams all over the world to provide medical services to wherever help is needed.
TCM Free Clinic & Consultation
Caring and expe
rienced BC registered Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) doctors have been invited to all sorts of events to hold consultation sessions to help people who do not have regular access to medical service. Since 2011, during the Taiwan Science & Technology Culture Festival every year, many TCM doctors have participated in the consultation sessions held by TIMA of Canada, benefiting so far over 3,000 people. Since the beginning of 2014, TCM doctors have been going to Aboriginal Single Mother Center every Monday to provide consultation services. The goal is to hold consultation sessions regularly in all communities to benefit more people.
TCM Health Seminar
To promote health care knowledge and to protect the health of the public, a free TCM health seminars has been given every month since July 2012. Since 2014, TCM health seminars presented in English have become available as well. Knowledgeable and 
experienced TCM doctors specialized in different areas have been invited to provide practical information on how to take good care of one’s health. The doctors use simple language explaining and demonstrating to the public all sorts of diseases and how to prevent and cure the diseases with TCM. The doctors also address audience’s questions and doubts in detail. Some lectures are also being given during the events in the Lower Mainland. You are very welcome to visit Tzu Chi website for more information and register for the next lecture. Please take good care of your health and your family’s health.
Tzu Chi Canada volunteers has been working to improve the health of the public. When Canadian hospitals called for help, Tzu Chi responded right away to raise funds through various means. To benefit more patients and to improve the quality of health care services, Tzu Chi has donated over $6 million CAD to 23 health care institutes in Canada over the past 22 years to upgrade and purchase medical equipments, support health care education, and provide the public with informative health-related publications.
Some recent medical donations include:
※ BC Cancer Foundation: DNA 3700 Gene Sequencer
※ BC Children's Hospital
※ BC Women's Hospital
※ Bridgepoint Health Hospital: bedding to prevent bed sores
※ Burnaby Hospital: MRI instrument
※ Credit Valley Hospital: neonatal intensive care unit giraffe omnibed
※ Eagle Ridge Hospital: rigid cystoendoscopes, laryngoscopes, cardiac ultra-sound unit & stretcher
※ Langley Memorial Hospital: infant resuscitation mobile warmer
※ Montreal Children's Hospital: syringe pumps
※ Montreal Chinese Hospital: automatic adjustable patient beds
※ Richmond Hospital: Jaundice meter, birthing spotlight for maternity unit, mini-laparoscopes, RF generator
※ Royal Columbian Hospital: breathing circuit circulator, ceiling-mounted boom, neonatal brain monitor
※ St. Paul Hospital: endoscopic video imaging system
※ Surrey Memorial Hospital: central monitoring system for pediatric ward
※ Tzu Chi Institute for Complementary & Alternative Medicine
※ Vancouver General Hospital: ENT endoscopes