茂盛醫院生殖醫學中心Lee Women's Hospital

Overseas Demand for Infertility Treatment Even Higher than Plastic Surgery 

Just before the 2/28 Memorial Day holiday in Taiwan, Arman, a four-year-old boy from the Philippines, energetically sang the classic song “You Raise Me Up” at the Lee Women’s Hospital, a half-hour drive from the Taichung High Speed Rail station.

Arman is the successful outcome of 42-year-old Philippine lawyer Violeta Banagen-Kito’s quest for help with conceiving a child. The same day she spoke with the reporter, Violeta underwent her second in-vitro fertilization, a nearly three-hour procedure, before heading back to her hotel to rest and recover.

With 30 years of treating infertility, Dr. Lee Mao-sheng (far left) specializes in conventional in-vitro fertilization. Violeta Banagen-Kito (far right), 42, came from the Philippines to seek help, finally conceiving her first child, Arman (second from right), now 4. (Photo by Kuo-tai Liu)

Lee Women’s Hospital founder and national policy adviser Lee Mao-sheng, who has dedicated the last 30 years to treating infertility, successfully helped create the second “test tube baby” in Taiwan at the Chung Shan Medical University Hospital. Doctor Lee estimates that the international fertility treatment market is worth around NT$300 million per year, which, combined with tourism consumption, drives at least NT$500 million in demand.

Lee Mao-sheng, founder of the Lee Women’s Hospital, relates that, in spite of the extensive business opportunities, competition is intense throughout the industry. In response, it is necessary to upgrade technology and align with the international community to foster new growth opportunities. (Photo by Kuo-tai Liu)

Just how strong is the demand for infertility treatment among overseas patients coming to Taiwan? Statistics for 2017 indicate that the international medical clinic hospitalization rate for gynecology ranked second, trailing only health examination centers and exceeding even that of aesthetic medicine (plastic surgery). 

Competition Intensifying, Infertility Clinics Double in 20 Years

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李茂盛醫師訪談內容節錄

試管嬰兒泰斗，波瀾萬丈的前半生   

台灣試管嬰兒權威，被病患暱稱為"李天王"的李茂盛教授，出生於貧瘠的雲林縣口湖鄉，這裡也是汪洋中的一條船-鄭豐喜的故鄉，他的童年也跟鄭豐喜一樣，貧困且屈辱。家中食指眾多，李教授在11個兄弟姐妹中排行老七，曾一度因為家中太窮被送去當養子，也曾因為繳不出四塊錢學費差點輟學。李教授回憶，自己小時候最怕過年，那些討不到錢的大人總是用言語羞辱，還是孩子的他，只能低著頭默默到田裡工作。記得有一次老師叫大家寫自傳，李教授寫著"我想成為醫生，因為可以改善家裡的生活，給父母好的生活環境"，當時還遭同學訕笑。但是事實證明，這個出自窮鄉僻壤的孩子很有骨氣，憑著超人的意志力，一路努力拼上醫學院，還成為無人不知無人不曉的名醫。

不做名醫， 要做一個好醫生

講話時自信卻誠懇，笑的時候帶著兩個酒窩的李教授告訴我們，他從來沒有想過要成為名醫，反而是無時無刻勉勵自己當一位"好醫生"。早年困苦的生活，讓他嚐盡人生冷暖，所以也更能站在病患的角度設身處地，並不斷的努力研發最新的技術來幫助病患解決問題。於中山醫學院畢業後，他前往加拿大學習輸卵管整形技術，1978年第一個試管嬰兒的誕生給了他新的啟示，並前往美國賓州大學學習最新的試管嬰兒技術。回國後的1986年，他在中山醫學院附設醫院創造了全台第二例試管嬰兒，一瞬間打響名號，自此求診病患絡繹不絕。李教授對於病患溫柔，但對於他的學生及團隊，他卻是最嚴厲的導師，因為他相信唯有用高標準要求自己，才能為病患爭取更多的機會，讓病患有機會獲得幸福。