Lots of little ones: Analysis of charitable donations to a hospice and palliative care unit in Taiwan

Abstract

Summary Background Charitable donations play a major role in the provision of hospice and palliative care (HPC) services, most of which are not reimbursed by health insurance programs. A good understanding of the constitution and use of donations is thus conducive to maintaining a high‐quality HPC unit. Methods The data sources were the publicly available balance sheet, work report, and donor lists of a foundation exclusively supporting one of the best HPC units in Taiwan in the fiscal year of 2017. The analysis included the donation amounts and frequencies by donor type (individual, corporate, and group) and the categories of expenses. Results The foundation received 3033 donations worth a total of 7.8 million New Taiwan dollars (NTD) (approximately 258 thousand US dollars) in 2017. Two‐thirds of the donations were allocated to the provision of direct care services. Of the 3033 donations, only 11 (0.4%) were worth 100 000 NTD or more, while 108 (3.6%) were valued between 10 000 and 99 999 NTD, 1268 (41.8%) were valued between 1000 and 9999 NTD, and 1646 (54.2%) were worth less than 1000 NTD. Of 1051 donors, 974 (92.7%) were individuals, 378 (36.0%) donated more than once, and 106 (10.1%) donated 12 or more times in one year. Conclusion HPC services in Taiwan are sponsored by lots of individuals and small donations. For sustainability of standards‐based and quality HPC services, the benevolence of the public should be thus cherished and adequately responded to.

In-kind donations to healthcare facilities during COVID-19: Experiences from a large medical center in northern Taiwan

“…Thus, volunteers and charitable donations play an important role in hospital operations. [6][7][8][9][10] During the COVID-19 pandemic, various charitable donations have been made by the public, aimed at protecting vulnerable populations and encouraging medical staff; such donations have included food, PPE, and other medical supplies. 11 However, the process of managing donations, including registration, storage, and appropriate allocation, has become a challenge for hospitals and relevant details have been rarely reported.…”