國際醫療 International Medical Service
To strengthen medical care for the people in southern Taiwan, promote medical development, and improve medical standards, the government established the "Kaohsiung Branch Preparatory Office" at Taipei Veterans General Hospital in 1984 (Republic of China Year 73), listing it as one of the 14 key national projects. Construction at the current site began in 1986 (Republic of China Year 75), and the branch was officially established in 1990 (Republic of China Year 79) as the "Veterans Affairs Commission Taipei Veterans General Hospital Kaohsiung Branch." After its establishment, Dr. Zhu Xiudong was appointed as the head of the department and began serving patients.
In 1993 (Republic of China Year 82), the hospital was restructured and renamed as "Veterans Affairs Commission Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital." In 2003 (Republic of China Year 92), the Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) Department was officially upgraded to the "ENT Department." In January 2013 (Republic of China Year 102), Dr. Zhu Xiudong, the founding director, retired, and Dr. Lin Yao-shiang, former Deputy Superintendent of the Tri-Service General Hospital, took over as the director of the ENT Department. In the same year, in line with the administrative reorganization of the Executive Yuan, the hospital was renamed as "Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital," and the ENT Department was officially renamed the "Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Department."
In September 2018 (Republic of China Year 107), Dr. Lin Yao-shiang was promoted to Vice Superintendent and continued to serve as the acting director of the ENT Department. In October 2019 (Republic of China Year 108), Dr. Kang Bo-huang was appointed as the current director of the ENT Department.
The department currently has facilities such as an endoscopy room, ultrasound examination room, hearing test room, speech therapy room, and vestibular function test room. Since 2012 (Republic of China Year 101), the hospital has introduced the Da Vinci robotic surgical system to serve the community. The department is divided into three divisions: Otology, Rhinology & Head and Neck Surgery, and Oral and Laryngeal Surgery, each with a division director. Including the department director, there are 11 attending physicians and 13 resident physicians, 2 of whom are senior residents who have obtained specialist certification. The department has 38 beds, with an average outpatient volume of approximately 3,160 visits per month and an average inpatient discharge of about 254 cases per month. The bed occupancy rate is about 90% (89.5%).