Ren Ci Hospital and Medicare Centre is expanding its medical
services to serve the needs of the poor better.
By 2008, a brand new hospital will be built at Irrawaddy Road at
Novena.
The new hospital will replace Ren Ci's current facility at Jalan
Tan Tock Seng.
It will be a haven for patients with chronic illnesses, or those in
rehabilitation.
The new Ren Ci Hospital will have 277 beds and services like
outpatient clinics, X-rays, laboratories and even a traditional
Chinese medicine clinic.
There will be many gardens and the rehabilitation rooms are also
made bigger to allow patients to move around more
comfortably.
Occupying 0.5 hectares of land, the new 14-storey Ren Ci Hospital
will cost nearly S$31 million.
With the Health Ministry's contribution of $21.04 million, and the
Lee Foundation's $4.5 million, Ren Ci will still need to raise some
$3 million for the construction of the new hospital.
Shi Ming Yi, Chairman and CEO, Ren Ci Hospital and Medicare Centre,
said: "I strongly believe that there will be more people who will
support Ren Ci by donating to this worthy cause. We were not
affected in the last few months even with the NKF saga. So I do not
see why people should withdraw if you're able to be accountable for
what you're doing."
Venerable Shi is a full-time volunteer at the hospital and hopes to
win back the confidence of the public towards charitable
organisations.
From its early days at the Chronic Sick Unit of Woodbridge hospital
11 years ago, Ren Ci, or compassion in Chinese, has reached out to
the needy.
It now pledges that despite a posh new home, it will maintain its
current charges of S$18 a day for hospitalisation. - CNA/ch
