Out-of-town relatives can now stay at Penang Hospital’s Anjung Kasih for free.
Public thankful to hospital for providing free-of-charge boarding
Septuagenarian Hembali Shafie and his wife would have spent nearly RM3,000 a month on a hotel room just so that they could care for their son at the Penang Hospital if it wasn’t for Anjung Kasih, a visitors’ wing within the hospital.
The 71-year-old retiree from Muar, Johor, said they had earlier forked out about RM500 to rent a room at a hotel for five days before getting a bed at the hospital’s freeof-charge boarding facilities.
“My son has been admitted here for more than a month as he has a kidney problem.
“We have been staying at Anjung Kasih for almost a month now and are able to save nearly RM3,000 on a hotel room.
“I am old and it is much easier to just walk to his ward rather than travel from a hotel every day,” he said when met during the launch of Anjung Kasih at the Penang Hospital here yesterday.
Housewife Juriah Zakaria, 35, said she would always have a backache when staying over at the hospital to care for her family member.
“The chairs are not very comfortable and it is expensive and unsafe to stay outside and travel to the hospital every day but with this (Anjung Kasih), there are no worries at all.
“The place is nice and its facilities are great. Most importantly, it is safe as there is 24-hour security,” she said.
Juriah said her husband was admitted last week to remove kidney stones.
“I have been staying here the whole week as we are from Kulim and it would be difficult for me to travel back and forth,” she said.
Available free of charge, Anjung
Kasih – an initiative by the National Welfare Foundation (YKN) – offers rooms and washrooms for underprivileged out-of-towners who have to accompany family members admitted to the hospital.
Penang Hospital is the 10th hospital in the country to offer the facility which was opened since Jan 9.
The building, once used as the housemen’s hostel was transformed into a 12-bedroom facility with bathrooms, a pantry, rest area and laundry area, with 24-hour security.
The rooms come with a total of 72 beds – two double and two single – and each has an attached bathroom. Up to six people can sleep in a room as mattresses can be added if there was a need to accommodate more.
They are available to anyone, irrespective of whether the patients are from outside or within Penang.
Family members only need to apply with the hospital’s nursing station and application process takes two to three days.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who officiated the opening ceremony, said five more hospitals around the country would have the facility by the end of the year.
“They are at the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital in Alor Setar, the Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Johor Baru, the Duchess of Kent Hospital in Sandakan and the Melaka Hospital.
“The one at the Tuanku Fauziah Hospital in Kangar has been completed,” she said.
Dr Wan Azizah said the project, which began in 2006 for families of patients undergoing treatment at government hospitals, had benefited 62,551 people and the Penang Hospital’s Anjung Kasih served 103 people since its opening.
She said the government had allocated RM6.9mil for the initiative and received RM1.6mil in support through corporate social responsibility programmes by government-linked companies (GLC), corporate companies and other caring contributors.
“This year, Anjung Kasih had overwhelming support from GLCs and the corporate companies who to-date have contributed RM1.9mil,” she said.