Dr Annuar posing in front of Lau King Howe Hospital Memorial Museum on Oct 31, 2021. – Photo by Peter Boon
SIBU (Jan 11): Some 200,000 people were born at the Lau King Howe Hospital, which served Sibu folk from 1936 until 1994.
This is based on the estimate by Assistant Minister for Education, Innovation and Talent Development I (Education and Innovation), Dr Annuar Rapaee.
In this regard, Dr Annuar hoped that those born in this hospital could chip in a minimum of RM1 to the ‘Babies of Lau King Howe’ – an idea which he mooted last year.
In fact, the Nangka assemblyman said with Lau King Howe Hospital Memorial Museum’s website (www.lkhhmm.org) now up and running, the public can conveniently register for ‘Babies of Lau King Howe’.
“Those who donate a minimum of RM1 to the ‘Babies of Lau King Howe’ will have their names displayed at Lau King Howe Hospital Memorial Museum.
“Also, if I may suggest, should you plan to donate RM1 a year, perhaps contribute RM50 or RM100 at one go as a lifetime contribution to Lau King Howe Hospital Memorial Museum.”
On the objective of ‘Babies of Lau King Howe’ which he mooted, Dr Annuar explained that it is intended to list down all the names of those born in this hospital and have them displayed at Lau King Howe Hospital Memorial Museum.
“On top of that, I want to instil a sense of belonging among Sibu folk as this is a very important building, rich in historical facts that need to be restored and conserved for the coming generation.
“By restoring this historic building, we can relate back to how our forefathers had worked together harmoniously as this hospital is also a symbol of unity among the various races in Sibu.
“The present site of Lau King Howe Hospital Memorial Museum is formerly the first Malay settlement here, and the Malays later contributed the land for the construction of the hospital. I was told that the late Mr Lau King Howe used all the proceeds from the sale of his properties to build this hospital, which he later donated to Sibu.
“This kind of gesture is the hallmark of collective efforts working to benefit the society,” he said.
Furthermore, according to Dr Annuar, the public contribution to ‘Babies of Lau King Howe’ will also play an important part in the daily operations of the Lau King Howe Hospital Memorial Museum.
“We need to cover the overheads for staffing, amenities and refurbishment, among others,” he pointed out.
That aside, Dr Annuar informed that he is currently waiting for University Technology Sarawak (UCTS) to forward the plan for the proposed conservation of Lau King Howe Hospital Memorial Museum, for which he would seek state government’s funding.
He estimates the proposed conservation of Lau King Howe Hospital Memorial Museum to cost about RM1.5 million.
Meanwhile, a demo video on how to register for ‘Babies of Lau King Howe’ can be found at Lau King Howe Hospital Memorial Museum’s website.