Taitung: Dr. Tjaikung Ruveljeng, a dedicated physician known for his 14-year campaign to establish the first hospital along Taitung's South-Link Highway, died from cancer at the age of 58. His family shared on Friday that he passed away on Thursday, never seeing his vision come to fruition.

According to Focus Taiwan, Dr. Ruveljeng, affectionately known as the "superman doctor," had been receiving cancer treatment since 2020. Despite his illness, he continued to see patients at the South-Link Medical Foundation Clinic, which he inaugurated in June 2023. This clinic, located in Dawu Township, is intended as a precursor to a future hospital project led by the South-Link Medical Foundation, established in 2019.

Dr. Ruveljeng's dream of a hospital remains unrealized. The foundation's 2023 annual report indicated that the project had yet to receive approval, hindered by concerns such as workforce shortages. The South-Link Highway, which spans over 100 kilometers from Fonggang in Pingtung County to Taitung City, lacks a hospital along its rural route, with the proposed hospital site nearly 60 kilometers south of Taitung City.

Dr. Ruveljeng's commitment to medicine began at age seven after witnessing an ambulance fail to reach a hospital in time to save a fellow Paiwan tribesperson. Upon earning his medical license, he returned to his hometown of Daren in 2002, extending clinic hours to better serve its 4,141 residents.

In 2006, Dr. Ruveljeng experienced a major stroke, partially impairing his left side. This personal health challenge underscored the urgent need for medical facilities in the region and motivated him to begin his hospital campaign in 2011, as noted by the foundation.

Looking ahead, Chang Hsiao-yun, head of a local health association, confirmed that Dr. Ruveljeng's clinic will continue its operations with the existing staff and necessary measures in place, ensuring ongoing medical care for the community along the South-Link Highway.