The Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) organised the National Launching Ceremony of MCA Fundraising for UTAR Hospital at UTAR Kampar Campus on 21 January 2022. The objectives of the ceremony was to assist in raising funds for the UTAR Hospital, create more awareness for the hospital and encourage people to visit the hospital when it opens.

Invited to officiate the opening ceremony was Minister of Transport Malaysia-cum-MCA President Datuk Seri Ir Dr Wee Ka Siong. Also present were Deputy Minister of Education I-cum-MCA Deputy President Dato’ Dr Mah Hang Soon, MCA Secretary General Datuk Chong Sin Woon, Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industries-cum-MCA Vice President Datuk Lim Ban Hong, MCA Vice President Datuk Tan Teik Cheng, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports-cum-MCA Vice President Dato’ Sri Ti Lian Ker, MCA Vice President Datuk Seri Yew Teong Look, former MCA Deputy President Tun Michael Chen, Tan Sri Tee Hock Seng, several Chinese associations, representatives from the corporate sector and other guests.

Present to witness the launching ceremony on behalf of UTAR were UTAR Chancellor Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik and his spouse  Toh Puan Ena Ling, UTAR Board of Trustees Chairman Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Sak Cheng Lum, UTAR Council Chairman-cum-Board of Trustees Member Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Dr Ting Chew Peh, UTAR Board of Trustees Member Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Lee Oi Hian, UTAR Council Member Dato’ Seri Ong Ka Chuan, UTAR Council Member Tan Sri Datuk Seri Dr Fong Chan Onn, UTAR Council Member Datuk Lim Si Cheng, UTAR Council Member Hew Fen Yee, UTAR President Ir Prof Dr Ewe Hong Tat, UTAR Planning and Development Committee Advisor Tan Sri Hew See Tong and UTAR staff.

Datuk Seri Wee enthused,” It is a great honour for me to be here at UTAR today. As you can see, UTAR Hospital is a holistic hospital that combines both Western Medicine and Chinese Traditional Medicine. The hospital will consist of an initial phase of 250 beds for Western Medicine, 100 beds for TCM and a future phase of additional 250 beds. There will be facilities for out-patient and in-patient treatment, diagnostics and treatment, medical and non-medical support, research and education, and administrative centres.”

“UTAR has been established for 20 years. Despite being a young university, UTAR was once ranked just after Universiti Malaya among other local universities in an international ranking. This is one of the facts that shows UTAR has become a famous university in Malaysia in a short period of time. I would like to express my special thanks to Tun Ling for his contribution to UTAR,” said Datuk Seri Wee.

He also encouraged all MCA members to assist with the fundraising of UTAR Hospital which is estimated to cost RM330million in total. “We must do our best to help raise funds for this hospital. I hope UTAR Hospital will be able to nurture more doctors to serve people as well as contribute to the improvement of Malaysia’s healthcare system. UTAR Hospital needs to have good medical equipment and facilities to provide good quality medical services. The establishment of UTAR Hospital will benefit all Kampar citizens as well as the citizens in Perak areas,” he added.

Dato’ Mah mentioned, “As a Perak citizen and a certified medical professional, I am delighted to see the construction of UTAR Hospital become a reality. UTAR Hospital is one of the few affiliated hospitals founded by a private university in Malaysia. I am confident that UTAR Hospital will not only open a new and exciting chapter for the university itself, but also for the development of public healthcare in the country. Hopefully, the fundraising goal for UTAR Hospital can be achieved as it will allow the hospital to be fully operational and functional as soon as possible, as well as ensure access to high-quality medical services for the people.”

On the other hand, Tan Sri Sak said, “UTAR started 20 years ago by the effort of Tun Ling, and I must tell you that the push to build the hospital also came from him. As you can see, the UTAR Hospital is almost ready and I would like to say thank you for all the donations and support. The UTAR Hospital is different from other ordinary hospitals in four aspects. Firstly, we have adopted a holistic approach in the concept of providing affordable and quality medical services to Malaysians in particular for the people in Perak and this region. UTAR Hospital will be providing good western medical care together with Traditional Chinese Medicine and possibly other Asian medical treatments. Secondly, the UTAR Hospital will definitely be used to train good doctors and specialists. Thirdly, we have entrusted our board of governors to look into bringing specialists to provide the latest medical treatment. We hope to provide the most up-to-date medical care to the people. Lastly, UTAR Hospital is a research and development hospital (R&D hospital). I believe the establishment of UTAR Hospital will get more support from the community with your help in promoting these features.”

Expressing his appreciation to the participants for their attendance and support especially during this pandemic period, Prof Ewe said, “UTAR Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) was founded in 2009. Since then we have nurtured excellent medical professionals whose performances have received high recognition in the society. In order to provide better training and education for our medical and health science students, it is imperative for UTAR to set up its own teaching hospital in Kampar.”

He revealed, “This year UTAR will be celebrating its 20th anniversary. As a not-for-profit hospital, the UTAR Hospital is willing to carry the responsibility to provide affordable medical services, train high-quality medical professionals and improve clinical research in Malaysia. We also provide affordable modern and traditional complementary medicine and health care services, thereby benefiting the medical development of the community and the country. At present, the construction of the hospital is progressing smoothly, and the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) building is nearly completed. The hospital is expected to provide traditional Chinese medical service and psychological consultation service onwards next month (February). The Western Medicine services are expected to start in 2023. Lastly, I would like to extend my gratitude to MCA for organising this fundraising activity for UTAR Hospital.”

The ceremony continued with the presentation of mock cheques. On behalf of UTAR, Tun Ling, Tan Sri Sak, Tan Sri Ting and Prof Ewe were invited to receive the mock cheques from the contributors and representatives of the corporate sector. They were accompanied by Datuk Seri Wee and Dato’ Mah. Dato’ Mah was then invited to present the Golden Brick Voucher, fundraising forms and guidelines to the MCA state chairmen and their representatives; he was accompanied by Tun Ling, Tan Sri Sak, Tan Sri Ting, Datuk Seri Wee and Prof Ewe.

At the climax of the opening ceremony, all distinguished donors were invited to the stage for a photography session to show appreciation for their support and donation to UTAR Hospital. The guests from MCA were also given a tour to the UTAR Hospital’s construction site to see the progress of the hospital construction.

MCA’s effort to raise funds for the hospital was indeed fruitful as the total amount raised until the day of the National Launching Ceremony of MCA Fundraising for UTAR Hospital at UTAR Kampar Campus was RM5,010,000. UTAR would like to express its gratitude and appreciation to all donors stated in the list:

UTAR Hospital is a not-for-profit hospital that provides medical and health services to the community and practical training for the University’s medical students in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. The establishment of UTAR Hospital will also benefit Kampar and the surrounding communities with increased socio-economic activities and better access to quality medical services.

For more information on UTAR Hospital and donations to the hospital, please go to the following website: https://hospital.utar.edu.my/ .