Introduction

Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Hsinchu Branch, has a history spanning more than 68 years as of November 2023. Its origin can be traced back to the 1st Army Medical Battalion, which was taken over by the Veterans Affairs Council, Executive Yuan on September 1, 1955, marking the official founding date of the hospital. On March 1, 1957, it was renamed Zhudong Veterans Sanatorium, and later reorganized as Zhudong Veterans Hospital on September 1 of the same year. Subsequently, on April 1, 1963, it was renamed Zhudong Veterans Hospital, Veterans Affairs Council, Executive Yuan.

In 1990, the hospital underwent a major expansion. Numerous board-certified specialists were recruited, new buildings were constructed, and modern diagnostic and therapeutic equipment were introduced. In the same year, the hospital entered into a cooperative academic and training partnership with Taipei Veterans General Hospital (VGH Taipei) and was accredited by the Department of Health as a Regional Teaching Hospital. Following the government’s organizational reform aimed at improving the quality of veterans’ healthcare, the institution was officially incorporated into Taipei Veterans General Hospital on January 1, 2013, becoming the Hsinchu Branch of Taipei Veterans General Hospital. This transition marked the beginning of a new era that combined the professional excellence of a medical center with the compassionate, community-oriented service of a regional hospital.

The hospital is located in Xia-Gongguan, Zhudong Township, Hsinchu County, occupying an area of six hectares. Situated at the intersection of Provincial Highway No. 3 and Beixing Road, it serves as a key access point to the mountain townships of Jianshi and Wufeng, and lies close to Expressway No. 68 (East–West Expressway) and National Freeway No. 3 (Formosa Freeway). As a major transportation hub for the nine surrounding rural townships of Zhudong, the hospital offers convenient access for patients from both urban and rural areas.

Before 1986, all hospital buildings were constructed of brick and tile. Beginning in 1987, large-scale construction projects gradually transformed the campus with the completion of the Outpatient Building, Medical Building, Ward Buildings I and II, Nutrition Building, Psychiatric Ward, Physicians’ Dormitory, and the Comprehensive Building. The hospital’s total floor area now exceeds 15,000 pings (approximately 49,600 square meters) and provides 858 beds, including acute care, chronic care, emergency, hemodialysis, nursery, and institutional long-term care units.

The hospital’s administrative departments include the Office of Medical Affairs, Secretariat, Nutrition Office, Office of Social Work, Office of Human Resources, Accounting Office, and Office of Civil Service Ethics. Its clinical divisions encompass Internal Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, Orthopedics, Urology, Anesthesiology, Psychiatry, Neurology, Family Medicine, Rehabilitation Medicine, Dentistry, Radiology, Dermatology, Ophthalmology, Otorhinolaryngology (ENT), Nursing, and Pharmacy. To meet the healthcare and preventive needs of the community, the hospital has also established specialized centers, including the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Hemodialysis Center, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Center, Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy Center, Respiratory Therapy Center, Day Care and Home Care Services, Nursing Home, Health Examination Center, and Community Health Management Center.

In addition to serving veterans, their dependents, and the general public in the Hsinchu and Miaoli regions, the hospital was designated by the Hsinchu County Public Health Bureau in 2006 as an Emergency Responsibility Hospital for Remote Areas. In 2011, it received over NT$ 20 million in government funding from the Department of Health to establish the Hsinchu County Emergency Care Center, expanding its facilities and equipment while recruiting emergency and neurosurgery specialists to enhance the quality of emergency services. In the same year, the hospital launched the “Golden Three Hours for Acute Stroke” program to provide timely diagnosis and treatment, strengthen local emergency care capabilities, reduce inter-district transfers, and meet the medical needs of regional residents. Through these continuous efforts, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Hsinchu Branch strives to achieve its mission of delivering high-quality, patient-centered healthcare services to the community.