To raise funds for UTAR Hospital, Sin Chew Daily, MagnumCares, and UTAR jointly organised the Sin Chew Carnival (优医星洲情义嘉年华) 2023 at Dewan Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik, UTAR Kampar Campus from 29 to 30 July 2023. The Carnival successfully raised RM642,898.00 for the hospital.

Invited to deliver the welcome and opening remarks were UTAR Council Chairman Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Dr Ting Chew Peh; Sin Chew Media Corporation Berhad Executive Director and Sin Chew Daily Chief Executive Officer Koo Cheng, and CEO and Medical Director of UTAR Hospital Prof Dr Lau Hui-Ping. Also present were UTAR President Ir Prof Dato’ Dr Ewe Hong Tat, Magnum - ENE Perak Sdn Bhd Vice President-Regional Head of Perak Chan Chit Min, esteemed guests from Sin Chew Media Corporation Bhd and MagnumCares, distinguished members of UTAR Education Foundation Board of Trustees, UTAR Council, and UTAR Hospital Board; representatives of Sin Chew Daily and MagnumCares; distinguished donors, UTAR staff, students and members of the public.

Prof Lau revealed, “Consisting of a Medical Centre and a T&CM Centre, UTAR Hospital is a not-for-profit teaching hospital that will integrate Chinese and Western elements, traditional and complementary medicine and modern medicine. Apart from offering affordable medical services to the public, UTAR Hospital will also become a teaching hospital to provide clinical training for our medical students. Since the establishment of the T&CM Centre in April last year, it has received a good response from the public, and the Medical Centre will be starting the trial operation on 1 August.”

He added, “Tentatively, the departments for trial operation include specialist outpatient centres, health check centres and inpatient services for some departments. We welcome members of the public who need medical consultation and treatment to visit UTAR Hospital’s website to know more about the available services.”  

Koo gave a brief introduction about the Sin Chew Carnival and said, “We have achieved many ‘first time’ for this event and it is memorable. This is the ‘first’ time to hold the Sin Chew Carnival for two consecutive days; the ‘first’ Sin Chew Carnival held in a university and the ‘first’ for UTAR Kampar Campus to host a large-scale charity bazaar to raise funds. It is encouraging to see that UTAR staff and students have actively participated in the preparation of the Carnival. Moreover, the cooperation between UTAR and Sin Chew Daily has also set a record. Sin Chew Daily will organise four major events yearly to help the schools to raise funds.  The four major events include Tiger Sin Chew Chinese Education Charity Concert, Hai-O Sin Chew Ai Hua Jiao Charity Night, Econsave Sin Chew Daily Charity Show, and MagnumCares Sin Chew Carnival. In just over a year, UTAR has established a cooperative relationship with these four fundraising events by organising five fundraising events. It is admirable and touching to see the dedicated efforts of UTAR members in raising funds for the UTAR Hospital.” He thanked MagnumCares for its perseverance, becoming a firm partner of Sin Chew, and sponsoring the 13 Sin Chew Carnivals across the country this year.

“I am looking forward to seeing the full operation of UTAR Hospital that will cultivate medical talents and benefit the community by providing quality and affordable medical services,” he added.

On behalf of UTAR, Tan Sri Ting expressed his gratitude and said, “UTAR is very honoured to receive the strong support and sponsorship from MagnumCares, the main sponsor of the Carnival; and the organiser Sin Chew Daily for their tremendous support and extensive publicity for today’s Carnival and also previous fundraising activities for UTAR Hospital.” Tan Sri Ting also thanked all donors for their donations and sponsorships.

He added, “Establishing a hospital is a sacred and arduous task, which requires human and financial resources, combined with the right time, location and harmony of people (天时、地利、人和). We are grateful that all the fundraising and construction of UTAR Hospital have been going smoothly so far. UTAR Hospital is estimated to cost about RM330million, and as of now, nearly RM300million has been successfully raised. We still need around RM30million to achieve the fundraising target. I hope that with the continued support of enthusiastic people, we will be able to reach the goal soon.”   

At the climax of the opening ceremony, all esteemed guests and distinguished donors were invited to the stage for the Lighting, Drum and Gong Ceremony, a ceremony held to show appreciation for their kind support and donation to UTAR Hospital.

In conjunction with the grand opening of Sin Chew Carnival 2023, the Carnival also held the UTAR Chinese Orchestra Unit 15th Anniversary Concert [Xu.Yang旭·飏] as its main highlight. The concert brought some beautiful Chinese Orchestra performances for the guests and donors.

There were various exciting activities and events held during the two-day Sin Chew Carnival 2023. It saw more than 20,000 participants, consisting of UTAR staff and students as well as members of the public of all age groups. 

Among the other highlights of the Sin Chew Carnival were a bazaar with a diverse selection of food, games, and charity booths; entertainment showcase with captivating performances and lucky draw sessions; Sin Chew Carnival Singing Contest; children’s colouring competition; free health screening and health talks; art and craft workshops including card making, flower wrapping, dough figurine sculpting, henna art, and yoga; exotic Japanese traditional culture zone; Kampar Majestic Ride & Charity Run; Haunted House; free talks and yoga, to name a few.

For more photos, please visit the UTAR Facebook.