Proposal for Sibu Hospital to be renamed Wong Soon Kai Memorial Hospital
SIBU: One of the three SUPP Lanang potential candidates for the coming parliamentary election Kelvin Kong yesterday proposed the Sibu Hospital be renamed Wong Soon Kai Memorial Hospital in honour of the former deputy chief minister who passed away on March 22.
Kong, 45, said Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr Wong Soon Kai ( Soon Kai) was an outstanding medical practitioner as well as a prominent and caring politician who had made a lot of sacrifices and enormous contributions for the improvement of medical services and development of Sibu.
“It is an undisputable fact that Soon Kai was very much respected and loved by all the people from different political, cultural and religious backgrounds.
“I believe there is nothing more appropriate than naming the Sibu Hospital after Soon Kai,” Kong added.
The son of a Chinese migrant from Minqing County in Fuzou, Soon Kai was the first Sarawakian to graduate as a surgeon in Britain in 1959.
He served as a government doctor for 15 years before entering politics in 1974.
Kong also pointed out that Soon Kai was instrumental in the establishment of Sibu Hospital which began operation in 1994 when he was a minister.
He said Soon Kai at one time also proposed to name Sibu Hospital after the late Lau King Howe who contributed the land to build the first hospital in Sibu.
“This wish of Soon Kai was not fulfilled, but the Lau King Howe Hospital Memorial Museum was later established as replacement”, Kong pointed out.
Kong made an earnest appeal to all the people in Sibu, regardless of their political affiliation, religious and cultural differences ,to stand united in pushing for the Sibu Hospital to be renamed Wong Soon Kai Memorial Hospital.
Separately, Kong also urged the state government and Sibu Municipal Council to speed up the process of naming the Lau King Howe Road and to preserve the existing Lau King Howe Hospital Memorial Museum.