Malaysia: Buddhist non-profit hospital helps the poor

Officials in Penang, a multi-religious island near the border between Malaysia and Thailand, recently announced the establishment of the Kek Lok Si Charity Medical Center, a non-profit Buddhist hospital. first on the island.
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The center is scheduled to open to the public in May and has pledged to keep fees below those of other charity hospitals in the area. The Kek Lok Si Charity Medical Center is located on the grounds of Lac Lac Temple, the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia. This is home to a 36.6 meter high bronze statue of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara and a Buddha made from jade mined in Myanmar and carved in China, considered one of the largest jade Buddha statues in the world. . This temple, called Sukhāvati in Sanskrit, which translates as “land of ultimate happiness”, nestled on a hillside, offering panoramic views of the city and sea, is a popular pilgrimage and visitation site. language of the Buddhist followers in the region. Venerable Seck Jit Heng, the temple’s abbot and former President of the Malaysian Buddhist Association, will become the Chairman of the hospital’s Board of Directors. “This is not the first charity hospital in the state, but rest assured that the fees here will be much lower than the lowest fees of all the other charity hospitals here. We only serve Malaysians, especially the poor,” said Dr Teng Hock Nan, Board member and Medical Director at the hospital. The facility has five floors and occupies part of the temple grounds. The center will include X-ray, ultrasound and CT scanners, modular critical care and a hemodialysis center. The hospital will provide 50 beds with 130 staff members, including seven resident consultants, two doctors, two consultants and one visiting consultant. The hospital with modern equipment is working towards 200 beds “We hope to expand our hospital to a total of 200 beds in the future,” said Dr. Teng. Aiming to avoid common medical tourism in the region, Dr Teng said: “If there is an emergency involving foreigners, we will treat them until their condition is reached. they stabilize before being transferred to other hospitals.” The Penang state government has invested RM200,000 (US$48,698) in the hospital, and officials expressed hope that a similar donation would be made every year. “Since the hospital operates entirely on donations, but the costs of the hospital are very high, we hope the state will consider approving the funding for the hospital every year.” Dr. Teng told Penang Premier Chow Kon Yeow when he visited the hospital. In response to this request, Premier Chow called on all NGOs and corporations, the Chinese city hall in Penang, the Penang Chinese chamber of commerce and multinational companies to support the disease. this charity.