Assunta Hospital received the Hospital of the Year: Your Community at Heart Award at the Sustainability and CSR Malaysia Awards 2023 recently.
The accolade highlights the outstanding efforts of the hospital’s charity arm, Assunta Integrated Social Services (ASSISS), that provides medical care for patients whose monthly household income totals RM2,500.00 and below.
Chief Executive Officer, Wilson Choo said ASSISS has been instrumental in reaching out to marginalised communities and providing them with access to basic healthcare services.
“ASSISS, as the hospital’s charitable extension, has been at the forefront of implementing various health programmes aimed at bridging the healthcare gap among the most vulnerable sections of society.”
“The charity arm’s dedication to improving the wellbeing of the underprivileged has significantly contributed to its recognition as a beacon of hope and compassion within the community.”
Continuous efforts to ensure that quality and free healthcare is accessible to the poorest of the poor is vital, according to ASSISS Head of Medical Services, Dr Darshinia Ballasingam.
Dr Darshinia said its success was evident through strategic partnerships with local organisations and community leaders, in which the charity arm has been able to operate in the Klang Valley and reach out to underserved areas in Sabah and Sarawak.
This is in addition to its recent operations in Port Dickson and Seremban in Negeri Sembilan.
“By implementing innovative and cost-effective health programmes, ASSISS is addressing socio-health disparities and play a key role in enhancing overall community health”, she said.
The Hospital of the Year: Your Community at Heart Award is a testament to Assunta Hospital’s ethos of compassion, empathy and inclusivity.
Driven by the vision of its founders, the hospital has upheld a legacy of caring for the community for over six decades. The recognition not only honours the hospital, but also serves as an inspiration for other healthcare institutions to embrace a socially responsible approach.
As not-for-profit establishment, the hospital operates on social entrepreneurship, where up to 50 per cent of its profits are reinvested back into the hospital’s expansion, investment in new equipment and technology.
The rest is channelled to ASSISS to subsidise medical care for patients from the lower social economic group who qualify for medical aid, based on criteria set by committee.
Over 38,000 people have benefitted from their services to date.
Source: New Straits Times
