Specialist in Thyroid Cancer, Why He Went to Mongolia During his Sabbatical Month

Sabbatical month for professors of surgery at university hospitals is the only time when they can be free from emergency calls that ring every day. One particular doctor volunteered to provide medical service abroad during this precious time even at his own expense. Professor Chang, Hang-seok of Yonsei University College of Medicine and a thyroid cancer expert (age 50· Thyroid Cancer Center, Gangnam Severance Hospital) spent his sabbatical month, his first while working as a professor, in Mongolia from mid-July.

Professor Chang of Yonsei University College of Medicine, Performed Solo Operations on 10 Patients over Two Weeks His father was taught by Dr. Jang Gi-ryeo "A doctor must give everything to his patients" 　Most doctors receive financial support from the government of the country they are staying to provide medical service. However, Professor Chang spent about KRW 4 million of his own money for flights and other travel costs he needed in order to stay in Mongolia for two weeks. He did not even take any support personnel with him. The medical service he provided was different from general overseas medical services such as examining patients, giving out medication, and providing simple medical treatment. He performed surgery on ten cancer patients. Cancer surgery is a huge burden on doctors since it requires general anesthesia and there are a lot of blood vessels and nerves to be careful of. Professor Chang explained, “Local doctors can give out medication. What they really need are high-level operations.”

A Mongolian patient who came to Korea several years ago to receive thyroid cancer surgery from Professor Chang paved his way to Mongolia. The patient was suffering from refractory thyroid cancer. The patient received the surgery twice in Mongolia but the cancer was not completely removed. Then, the patient came to Professor Chang. Professor Chang is one of the most renowned experts in the world on refractory thyroid cancer. He is known as one of the best doctors in the field along with the professors at New York Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Martin Luther Hospital in Germany. The surgery was successful but he still felt pity for the patient since he thought that ‘the patient would have not suffered as much if the patient received the right surgery from the first beginning’.

That is why he headed to the National Cancer Center of Mongolia. Since there were not enough nurses, Professor Chang said that he could only perform operations twice a day. Furthermore, he did not just perform the surgery but taught local doctors how to operate on cancer patients. He recalled that ‘he felt a lump form in his throat and his heart begin to ache whenever he watched the local doctors draw mimetic diagrams on a bunch of A4 papers every time he performed the surgery’. Professor Chang is planning to go back to Mongolia next year. He added that he is ‘also thinking about bringing doctors from medically underdeveloped countries and training them here in Korea’.

In response to the question ‘why he plans to go to Mongolia when there are many cancer patients in Korea as well’, he answered, “Korea’s medical technology is one of the best in the world and there are many good cancer specialists here. However, in Mongolia, there is no one who can perform advanced surgeries. The fact that people who can live in Korea are dying in Mongolia was what really broke my heart.”

He said that he was deeply influenced by Dr. Jang Gi-ryeo (1911 - 1995) who is known as ‘Schweitzer of Korea’ for charity care and community service he provided for the patients in need for his lifetime. “My father (Chang Im-soo) was also a doctor and he was a student of Dr. Jang Gi-ryeo. He used to always tell me, ‘Doctors should not be wealthy. Just like what Dr. Chang did, doctors should serve their patients and give all they can, whether it’s money or medical service’. It is my dream to teach medical solutions and provide medical services around the remote areas of the world.”