‘14 more govt hospitals ask for Anjung Kasih facility’
KUCHING: Fourteen more government hospitals in Malaysia have requested for the National Welfare Foundation ( YKN) Anjung Kasih facility to be set up within their compounds.
Presently, eight government hospitals are equipped with this facility which is offered free for the families of needy patients particularly those from rural areas.
They are Selayang Hospital ( Selangor), Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital ( Pahang), Miri Hospital ( Sarawak), Sarawak General Hospital ( Sarawak), Tuanku Ja’afar Hospital ( Negeri Sembilan), Sibu Hospital ( Sarawak), Sultan Hj. Ahmad Shah Hospital ( Pahang) and Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital ( Perak).
Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim said hospitals in Serdang and Sandakan were among those ‘in the pipeline’.
“It is our wish to have more Anjung Kasih. To set up Anjung Kasih at a hospital, we need about RM1 million to RM1.5 million,
It is our wish to have more Anjung Kasih. To set up Anjung Kasih at a hospital, we need about RM1 million to RM1.5 million, depending on the facility.
depending on the facility,” she told a press conference after Head of State Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud officially declared open the Sarawak General Hospital ( SGH) YKN Anjung Kasih yesterday.
Among those present at the launch were Taib’s wife Toh Puan Datuk Patinggi Raghad Kurdi Taib, State Legislative Assembly Speaker Datuk Amar Mohd Asfia Awang Nassar, Minister of Welfare, Women and Community Wellbeing Datuk Fatimah Abdullah and Local Government Minister Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian.
The SGH YKN Anjung Kasih, which was completed in December 2013, has 104 beds and is the largest in terms of capacity in Malaysia.
Sarawak has two more similar facilities - at Miri Hospital ( began operation in September 2013) and Sibu Hospital ( began operation in February 2014).
According to Rohani, the ministry aims to expand the SGH YKN Anjung Kasih, considering that it is pretty much occupied.
“If land is available, we want to expand. Anjung Kasih must be in the hospital compound where the family members can be near the patients.”
“For the families of patients especially those who live very far and cannot afford to stay at motel, they can stay at Anjung Kasih. This is to prevent them from sleeping along the hospital corridor.”
Apart from free temporary lodging, Rohani said residents at Anjung Kasih are also provided two meals a day.
It is understood that YKN has been working with nongovernmental organisations ( NGOs) and the corporate sector to better reach out to the needy patients and families.
“It is just simple food but it means a lot. In the beginning, it may be okay for them ( poor rural families to pay for motel and food) but if the treatment goes on for weeks, it is going to be difficult.”
Rohani said individuals would be validated by the hospital before given permission to stay at Anjung Kasih.
As far as SGH YKN Anjung Kasih is concerned, they are initially allowed to stay for a week but the stay can be extended, depending on the need.
“We leave it to the doctors to decide who to stay at Anjung Kasih. Besides, we also cater for special needs like the one in Miri, we have a Penan room, communal space for the Penans. Anjung Kasih is meant for Malaysians but we can have exceptional cases.
“At SGH Anjung Kasih, we have the Pink Ribbon operating here to reach out to cancer survivors who can stop by for counselling sessions.”
She added that the facility at SGH had assisted not just patients’ families but also patients who had to do follow-up treatment.
“Doctors also allowed patients to stay at Anjung Kasih here because some of them come from afar like Kapit, this is so that they don’t need to travel so much for the follow-up.”
Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim, Women, Family and Community Development Minister