S. Korean volunteers conclude week-long medical mission

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A Korean dentist performs a dental procedure on a patient who visited St Peter’s Anglican Chapel Kampung Merdang Lumut.

KOTA SAMARAHAN: A group of 38 volunteers from the Bridge Medical Association (BMA), South Korea ended their week-long medical mission here yesterday.

Organised in partnership with the Anglican Church and coordinated by Fr Joshua Jo, who is a South Korean priest familiar with the locals here in the state, the group comprising medical doctors, dentists, medical students and high school students arrived here on Feb 14.

The group visited villages throughout the state, with Kampung Merdang Lumut here their last stop.

Jo commented that BMA is an international non-governmental organisation which carries out medical missions in developing countries, adding this was their third trip to Sarawak.

“Their charity activities are self-funded and they go abroad once or twice a year to provide free medical and dental services. They had been to countries like Mongolia, Nepal, and Bangladesh besides visiting rural and remote places and islands in South Korea to carry out their charity work.

“The main objective of the charity work is to give free medical services to people so that those who cannot afford these services, either because of financial or transportation problem, could benefit from this charity activity,” he said.

Korean medical personnel seen treating locals who visited St Peter’s Anglican Chapel Kampung Merdang Lumut on Saturday.

He was met by The Borneo Post at St Peter’s Anglican Chapel Kampung Merdang Lumut, which was the venue where the team held their medical check-up for the villagers on Saturday.

Apart from that, Jo also commented that BMA had members from different hospitals, clinics and universities in South Korea.

During BMA’s visit to Kampung Merdang Lumut, both St Peter’s Anglican Chapel chairlady Rostina Richard Bara and event organising chairman Richard Janggui said they were happy with the response from the locals.

“This event is also supported by the state government and it is one of the efforts by the government to help the locals. We are glad that they have visited our village and the response from the villagers was very good,” said Richard.

Before visiting Kampung Merdang Gayam, the BMA volunteers visited the Bengoh Resettlement Scheme on Friday (Feb 16). The team is flying back to South Korea today.