Datin Ellis Suriyati Omar
KUCHING: Lions Nursing Home Kuching is seeking to raise RM1 million from the public and private sector including individuals to cover expenses for its residents, staff and facilities.
Its chairman Datin Ellis Suriyati Omar said the money will allow the home to be self sustaining and to help the 12 Lions Clubs in Sarawak to provide the necessary and right geriatric care for the aged.
“This should be a joint effort by people from all walks of life and our state government should be in a better position to help us in getting these grants so that we can take care of our old folks and the aged,” she told The Borneo Post in her office at the home in Stutong Thursday.
“The 12 Lions Clubs have volunteered to serve and to chip in some money to manage and operate the homes but by all means it is not enough especially to manage the nursing home as we also need to maintain our human resources and our facilities,” she added.
Suriyati, who is also Lions Club International past director, said the extra cash from contributors can be used for immediate repairs to many obsolete parts of the building, upgrading the facilities and also equipment for physiotherapy.
“Now to save cost, we have to improvise and many of our Lions members are here helping out in many areas and we thank them for their spirit of volunteerism and caring attitude,” she said.
Suriyati said the facilities at the home were 25 years old and it was the first nursing home in Malaysia managed by the Lions Club that had a proper conducive environment but it needed financial support to sustain itself.
“The home follows the regulations set by the Ministry of Health and we want to keep it that way to ensure that the home and facilities are of high standard and safe especially in geriatric health care,” she added.
She said the home provides employment for people and is also a place to learn about managing geriatric patients and without additional funding it would be difficult for the home to operate in the manner that it should be managed for the old folks to spend their old age in a proper caring environment until their final days. Being a non-profit making institution, she said the fees charged by the home were not high, thus it could not sustain on its own.
“I do hope the government can help us with our request and in helping to call the public and the private sector or even individual to come forward to help us.”
Presently, the nursing home has 80 residents and a staff of 71. Established in 1992, it will be celebrating its 25th anniversary on Oct 28.