Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Philippines

Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Philippines The Buddhist Tzu Chi Eye Center Philippines is a non-profit ambulatory surgical clinic for the poor. At that time, Hualien was undeveloped and impoverished.
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About Tzu Chi

Tzu Chi is a non-profit charitable organization founded by the Buddhist nun Dharma Master Cheng Yen in Hualien, Taiwan in 1966. The master and her disciples sewed baby shoes, made candles and encouraged their followers to save 0.30 NT$ every day for charity. During her charity visits, Dharma Master Cheng Yen realized that many families became poor due to illness or vice versa. She concluded that, to end poverty, illness needed to be taken care of first. She founded a free clinic in 1972 which provided medical services to the poor twice a week and then set out to build a hospital. Today, the Master’s compassion has resulted in the establishment of seven Tzu Chi hospitals across Taiwan. Shortly after a local Tzu Chi chapter was established in the Philippines in 1995, a group of Tzu Chi volunteers and local doctors held a free clinic in Baguio. Thus begun Tzu Chi’s medical work in the country. In 2007, the Tzu Chi Clinic was established in Bacood, Sta. Mesa. It offered free dental and eye care services to indigent patients from across the Philippines. In 2016, the establishment underwent renovation and was renamed to Tzu Chi Eye Center. Today, it is a three-floor structure that features four operating rooms that are equipped with the most advanced ophthalmic technology, and diagnostic rooms as well as a roster of ophthalmologists from a variety of sub specializations. In 2019, the Tzu Chi Eye Center received its accreditation from the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).

"Our vocational knowledge won't follow us all our life..."
18/01/2026

"Our vocational knowledge won't follow us all our life..."

Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Philippines President Dr. Antonio Say has been named the 2026 Thomasian Outstanding Medical A...
17/01/2026

Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Philippines President Dr. Antonio Say has been named the 2026 Thomasian Outstanding Medical Alumni awardee for Medical Education by the University of Santo Tomas Medical Alumni Association, Inc. Dr. Say received the accolade during the Association's 86th Grand Alumni Homecoming held today, January 17. The award recognizes Dr. Say's dedication and transformative contribution to medical education.

Dr. Say, an ophthalmologist, is known for revolutionizing cataract surgery in the Philippines by introducing "Phacoemulsification" to the country. The procedure creates smaller incisions, allowing for a shorter recovery and better visual outcomes.

An educator at heart, he has been teaching as a member of the UST Faculty of Medicine and Surgery since 1984. In 2021, Dr. Say accepted the post as Executive Director of the Chinese General Hospital Colleges (CGHC), and Chairman of Cardinal Santos Medical Center (CSMC) Department of Graduate Medical Education in 2023.

Among his students and younger colleagues, Dr. Say is a “giant mentor” who is not only generous with his knowledge, but also exemplified a compassionate heart in serving patients. Teaching by example, he actively joins free clinics for underprivileged patients. His work has brought him to far-flung communities in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao and even as far as the impoverished regions in Laos and Cambodia. Each time, he invites his students to participate, and even teaches the local surgeons his techniques. Dr. Say believes that in witnessing the struggles of patients with eye diseases, surgeons learn to nurture a compassionate heart that will guide them to serve the community, not for monetary gain but for the satisfaction of easing a patient's suffering.

Dr. Say is currently the president of the Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Philippines Inc., the non-profit organization behind the Tzu Chi Eye Center, an ambulatory clinic serving underprivileged patients.

15/01/2026

Tzu Chi Eye Center supported the mission of uplifting the lives of impoverished families by providing optometric services to selected residents of the charitable organization Project PEARLS’ adopted communities.

"Each person has a kind heart as well as habitual tendencies. We must compete with ourselves, insist on striving toward ...
15/01/2026

"Each person has a kind heart as well as habitual tendencies. We must compete with ourselves, insist on striving toward the good, and be diligent without indolence."

After his father's early passing, Eric Gaspar, being the eldest, was determined to be the pillar of support for his moth...
14/01/2026

After his father's early passing, Eric Gaspar, being the eldest, was determined to be the pillar of support for his mother and three siblings. He helped his mother sell rice cakes (kakanin) before sunrise, attended his classes in the afternoon, and took on deliveries in between to keep the family afloat. After his college graduation, he thought he would finally be able to support the family full-time only to wake up one day nearly blind. At the Tzu Chi Eye Center in Sta. Mesa, Manila, Eric found hope of restoring his vision along with the rhythm of his life.

READ FULL STORY: https://medium.com//the-rhythm-of-hope-for-young-graduate-04ec97e3ee24?postPublishedType=initia

𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐃𝐀𝐘𝐒For South Carolina-based ophthalmologist Dr. Emil Anthony Say, returning to the Philippines for Chr...
08/01/2026

𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐃𝐀𝐘𝐒

For South Carolina-based ophthalmologist Dr. Emil Anthony Say, returning to the Philippines for Christmas is about more than just a family reunion, it is about honoring a legacy of service.

At 5:00 a.m. on December 26, while most were still celebrating the season’s rest, Dr. Emil accompanied his father, Dr. Antonio Say, to the operating room at Cardinal Santos Medical Center. There, the father-and-son duo performed retina surgeries for patients of the Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Philippines.

A graduate of the University of Santo Tomas, Dr. Emil moved to the U.S. over a decade ago to specialize in ocular oncology and vitreoretinal diseases. Today, he practices and teaches in Charleston, but his heart remains tethered to his father’s mission.

"It is impressive that he has been doing this for all these years," Dr. Emil shared, reflecting on his father’s work with Tzu Chi. "He has helped so many and built a program that will outlast him by training the next generation. I feel blessed to return every year to do this with him. It is deeply fulfilling, and I hope to continue this tradition for years to come."

As his father watched, Dr. Emil performed complicated retina surgeries, embodying the Jing Si Aphorism: "The best way to repay our parents is to make the most of our ability in the service of humanity."

"A bad thought will eliminate all that is good. A good thought will destroy all kinds of evil. Good or bad lies within ...
08/01/2026

"A bad thought will eliminate all that is good. A good thought will destroy all kinds of evil. Good or bad lies within a single thought."

CLINIC ADVISORYTzu Chi Eye Center's clinics and offices will be closed on Friday, January 9, 2026. Please be guided acco...
07/01/2026

CLINIC ADVISORY

Tzu Chi Eye Center's clinics and offices will be closed on Friday, January 9, 2026. Please be guided accordingly.

Xavier School and Immaculate Conception Academy’s Alumni Associations paid a visit to the Tzu Chi Eye Center on Septembe...
07/01/2026

Xavier School and Immaculate Conception Academy’s Alumni Associations paid a visit to the Tzu Chi Eye Center on September 27, 2025 to seek their support in conducting a medical outreach for the benefit of their alma mater's faculty, non-teaching staff, and family members. Impressed by the Eye Center’s top-of-the-line facilities, the groups sought to conduct their outreach in partnership with the Buddhist charitable group.

A cataract screening was held on November 22, 2025 at the Tzu Chi Eye Center in Sta. Mesa, Manila. Tzu Chi’s volunteer ophthalmologists, along with, nurses, staff, and non-medical volunteers mobilized to provide comprehensive consultations to a total of 132 patients suffering from eye diseases such as cataracts, retina, glaucoma, and squint, among others.

ICA Alumni Association’s Vice President for External Affairs Elaine Hao-Cuady said that this was different from their previous medical outreaches. “Usually, we just screen [for eye diseases]. After that, we refer them to the hospitals, but there are still payments and all that had to be settled unlike the facilities here, where everything is almost free!” she added.

In addition to consultations, Tzu Chi Eye Center, through its donors, will help the patients seen on this day with their surgical needs and medicines.

This was greatly appreciated by the likes of Angelica Sevilla, who suffered from cataracts and diabetes. The loss of her vision three months previous turned her family’s world upside down. Her husband, Felicito, a family driver to a Xavier alumnus, feels the weight of her blindness as if it were his own. "It’s like I've lost a limb," he admitted. "Someone always has to be by her side. It’s tough on our kids, too because they can’t do their own thing anymore. That’s why if this surgery goes through, she won’t be fumbling in the dark anymore."

Debra Liamson, a retired ICA teacher, is now 68 years old and experiencing blurry vision caused by cataracts. Her daughter, who also teaches at ICA, told her about the cataract screening project between Tzu Chi, Xavier, and ICA. She immediately signed up for a consultation. It turned out she needed to undergo surgery to restore the clarity of her vision.

Despite her poor eyesight, however, Teacher Debra could not help but feel immense pride seeing her former students giving back to society. "It’s really heartwarming to see them grow up to be exactly who we hoped they’d be – the kind of people who think not only of themselves or their own families, but care about others too,” she said.

For the alumni, it was the project’s ultimate goal and more. “Through these initiatives, we hope we are able to inspire and encourage our alumnae doctors and those who have been blessed to also help so that we could reach more and serve more people," Elaine Hao-Cuady said.

The joint efforts of Xavier School and ICA’s alumni, and Tzu Chi volunteers is bringing the gift of sight back to those who dedicated their lives to enlightening others. This time, the students have become the guides, leading their teachers and school mentors out of the shadows towards the light.

06/01/2026

Erlinda Constante is a filial daughter and a loving eldest sister. In her younger years, she set her self aside to help her parents support the education of her nine other siblings. Now, at 77 years old, Erlinda endures Parkinsons’ Disease and poor eyesight brought by cataracts and glaucoma. Her siblings are rallying behind her, seizing the opportunity to return the care she selflessly gave them decades ago…

𝐌𝐀𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐀𝐔𝐍𝐀𝐖𝐀Ang mga pasyenteng dati nang natingnan sa aming pasilidad (OLD PATIENT) at inabisuhan na bumalik matap...
06/01/2026

𝐌𝐀𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐀𝐔𝐍𝐀𝐖𝐀

Ang mga pasyenteng dati nang natingnan sa aming pasilidad (OLD PATIENT) at inabisuhan na bumalik matapos ang tatlo o mahigit pang buwan, mangyaring tumawag o mag-text muna sa sumusunod na mga numero: (8452-9820 / 0908-899-4393) upang makuha ang bagong schedule ng inyong appointment.

Hindi po kami tumatanggap ng walk-ins. Siguruhing may confirmed appointment bago pumunta.

Address

1000 Cordillera Street Corner Lubiran Street, Bacood, Sta. Mesa
Manila
1016

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm
Saturday 8am - 5pm

Website

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