Overview:
President Surangel S. Whipps Jr. recently joined Taiwan President Lai Ching-te in Taipei to celebrate the inauguration of Shin Kong Hospital’s state-of-the-art K-Building. Highlighting a strong, decades-long healthcare partnership between Palau and Taiwan, the expansion introduces a world-class cardiovascular center and enhanced medical referral services for Palauan patients
By: Eoghan Olkeriil Ngirudelsang
TAIPEI, Taiwan (Oct. 2026) – President Surangel S. Whipps Jr. and First Lady Whipps attended the opening ceremony of the newly completed wing of Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital in Taipei on Sunday, October 18.
Whipps arrived in Taiwan on Saturday following his visit to Australia, where he attended the opening of Palau’s embassy in Canberra. At Sunday’s ceremony, he joined Taiwan President Lai Ching-te as a special guest.
The event marked both the inauguration of the hospital’s new K-Building, also known as the Guilan Building, and the hospital’s 34th anniversary of its founding. Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital was founded by Chairman Wu Dong-jin in memory of his father, Wu Ho-su, who passed in 1986 while the hospital officially opened its doors in September 1992.
New cardiovascular center
The new wing is named in honor of Chairman Wu’s mother and is connected to the original hospital building by an elevated skybridge.
Designed to establish a world-class heart and vascular center, the K-Building will add 314 general ward beds, 20 cardiac intensive care beds, 11 operating rooms, and four cardiac catheterization laboratories. The expansion will also consolidate related outpatient services to create a complete cardiovascular care center.
During the ceremony, the hospital’s disaster-resilience features were highlighted. With expanded underground space on levels B1 and B2 to over 333 square meters, a gas-powered generator with a capacity of up to 1,000 kilowatts, and multiple backup systems, the hospital can operate independently for up to 72 hours without external grid support. Organizers said, as a self-sustaining medical center, it can function as a “Noah’s Ark” during major disaster.
Longstanding Palau partnership
At the ceremony, officials recognized Shin Kong Hospital’s long-standing medical partnership with Palau through the country’s medical referral program.
In his address, President Whipps said that since 2007, Shin Kong has sent more than 450 medical personnel to Palau to serve its more than 15,000 residents.
According to the Palau Health Care Fund (HCF), referrals to Taiwan began in May 2013, with Shin Kong serving as the first hospital to receive and treat Palauan referral patients. Six hospitals in Taiwan now have memoranda of understanding to accept Palauan referral patients according to HCF’s website. However, Shin Kong still receives the highest percentage of referral patients to Taiwan.
According to Shin Kong Hospital President Hou Sheng-mou, the hospital has facilitated more than 6,500 treatment referrals from Palau.
President Whipps remains in Taiwan and is scheduled to attend Palau’s Independence Day celebration in Taipei with Palauan students and medical referral patients, hosted by the Palau Embassy, held tonight Tuesday, October 20.