SIX hospital welfare organisations received a total of RM300,000 in grants to help children from low-income families cover part of their medical expenses.
Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Malaysia said the funding would support treatment, medical procedures, equipment and follow-up care.
The recipients included the National Heart Institute (IJN)Foundation, Paediatric Patient Welfare Association of Universiti Sains Malaysia Specialist Hospital and Malaysian Medical Welfare Fund at Hospital Tunku Azizah.
The other three were PPUMCare at Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) Malaysian Medical Welfare Fund at the Sabah Women and Children’s Hospital and the patient welfare fund of Hospital Tunku Ampuan Besar Tuanku Aishah Rohani (Hospital TabTar).
RMHC Malaysia general manager Mohd Nasri Mohd Nordin said the organisation partnered with the welfare bodies to bridge funding gaps faced by families who could not afford their children’s medical needs.
“When a child requires treatment, families do not only place their hopes on the child’s recovery.
“They may also worry about the cost of procedures, medical equipment and follow-up treatment,” he said during the grant presentation at Hospital TabTar in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur.
Mohd Nasri said the grant programme was supported through contributions from the public, McDonald’s Malaysia, corporate partners and hospital welfare organisations.
He said RMHC Malaysia has distributed over RM2.4mil to aid 639 children since introducing its Medical Grant Programme in 2018.
Among the beneficiaries was three-year-old Samantha Pong, who was diagnosed with hearing problems and required cochlear implant surgery.
She underwent the operation in September 2025 after receiving assistance through the programme.
Her father, Simon Pong, expressed gratitude for the aid, noting that the procedure was beyond the family’s means.
“Samantha’s operation went smoothly and she can now hear.
“We hope she will begin speaking soon,” he said.
Hospital TabTar director Prof Dr Hamzaini Abdul Hamid said treatment, medical equipment and follow-up care could also impose a financial burden on some families.
“The grant channelled to the patient welfare fund helps us support eligible families, while treatment continues to be provided by the hospital’s medical team according to the needs of each patient,” she said.
She added that such assistance helped ease some of the emotional and financial pressure during treatment.
Also present at the ceremony were RMHC Malaysia president and McDonald’s Malaysia managing director Datuk Azmir Jaafar, USM Specialist Hospital Paediatric Patient Welfare Association chairman and medical lecturer Dr Ahmad Zafrullah Afham Ahmad Fikri and Sabah Women and Children’s Hospital representative Siti Mahani Sidek.
Others in attendance included UMMC deputy director (professional services) and PPUMCare Fund chairman Nur Azrida Azhari Wasi, Hospital Tunku Azizah deputy medical director Dr Atika Azura Abdul Rashed and IJN Foundation board of trustees social and welfare committee chairman Raja Datin Seri Zuraida Raja Mansur.
RMHC Malaysia’s other programmes include Ronald McDonald House, Ronald McDonald Sensory Rooms and the Gift of Smile Programme.
