NO amount of money can persuade Wong Kwok Kheong to abandon Persatuan Kebajikan I-Kasih Johor Baru’s commitment to providing free terminal cancer care to the needy.
The non-governmental organisation (NGO) provides free care and even allows female relatives to stay overnight with their family members.
Wong said the association was founded on three core community service principles – palliative care and hospice centre, free medical equipment loans and poverty alleviation.
“Our services and scope focus on different target groups, with no fees or service charges imposed,” the 59-year-old to StarMetro.
The NGO, he said, also lent hospital beds, wheelchairs, oxygen machines, and walking aid to families facing financial distress due to illness.
It also provides diapers, special dietary milk powders, and dry food rations to disadvantaged households and partner NGOs.
“We get offers of generous monthly payments from people in Johor and Singapore for us to take in their next of kin who are cancer patients,” said Wong.
“I was once approached by an affluent businesswoman wanting to place her terminally ill husband at the care centre,” he said.
Wong said the woman was willing to pay RM10,000 monthly, but he declined the offer and the patient.
He said the care centre had also rejected offers of RM8,000 monthly payments from Singaporeans to treat their cancer-stricken relatives, as the facility was only open to Malaysians and people with permanent resident status.
“We only admit final-stage cancer patients with a doctor’s referral letter stating they have no chance of recovery,’’ said Wong.
The NGO’s office is in Taman Skudai Baru, while its community and hospice care centre is at Taman Jaya Mas in Skudai.
It runs entirely on corporate sponsorship and public charity donations to cover its monthly operating costs.
For details, call 07-511 2132 or 019-754 4998 or e-mail info@ikasih.org.my
Persatuan Kebajikan I-Kasih Johor Baru is located at No.23, Jalan Hang Lekir 18, Taman Skudai Baru, Johor Baru.
The office is open Monday to Friday (10am to 5.30pm), Saturday (10am to 1pm) and is closed on Sunday.
