KUCHING, Feb 19 — All private hospitals in Sarawak are encouraged to hold more community programmes.
In making this call, Deputy Minister in Sarawak Premier’s Department (Law, Malaysia Agreement 1963 and State-Federal Relations) Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali assured these private entities that the state government would always support them carrying out programmes meant to benefit the community.
“Running a medical business is indeed very difficult, but it is also a corporate social responsibility (CSR) for such a business to run activities meant to help and give back to the community.
“In this respect, the state government is very supportive of efforts to ensure community development,” she said at the start of a mass ‘berkhatan’ (circumcision) programme conducted by KPJ Kuching Specialist Hospital here yesterday.
The CSR programme involved 60 boys between the ages of 8 and 12, with the procedures carried out by five medical officers.
According to KPJ Kuching Specialist Hospital general manager Nurhazimah Mahat, the ‘berkhatan’ event was in line with the hospital’s core value of ‘Care For Life’, apart from fulfilling the religious call for coming-of-age Muslim boys to undergo circumcision.
“It is run in connection with the school holidays,” she said.
The mass ‘berkhatan’ programme at KPJ Kuching Specialist Hospital yesterday also engaged the Fire and Rescue Department Sarawak. — Borneo Post
