Temple comes to the aid of the sick

ipatemple270414 2... The entrance of Kek Look Seah Temple at Jalan Sri Adika.

WHETHER rich or poor, old or young, Kek Look Seah Temple in Ipoh opens its doors to receive all who wish to seek medication for their ailments, free of charge.

Located at Jalan Sri Adika, the temple has over 200 traditional herbal medicine ready to be dispensed to patients.

Temple president Chung Thim Lam, 90, despite his old age, remains devoted to his mission in reaching out to people who are in need, especially those who are too poor to seek Chinese medicinal treatment.

“When I established this temple in a terrace house in 1964, there were only 10 people by my side to assist me in giving free medicine to the needy.

“Now, we have at least 130 volunteers helping out at the temple every alternate weekday when this service is in session,” he said.

He added that the volunteers mostly comprised senior citizens, with the youngest among them people in their 20s.

Stroke patients, as well as patients with weak muscles or muscle diseases, waiting for treatment.

 

The free medicine service is offered to the public every Monday, Wednesday and Friday night, with over 100 people coming in each night to be attended to by the temple’s volunteers.

“There are some people who seek medicine for common ailments such as fever, flu and cough.

“But there are also stroke patients and people who suffer from muscle injuries coming in here for treatment as well,” Chung told The Star.

He explained that volunteers at the temple were trained and designated to do their jobs in a systematic manner, so that patients do not have to wait long.

“We have over 50 departments with volunteers dedicated to ensure that the medicine collecting process is swift for patients,” he said.

These range from manning the car park to registration counters and to packing the herbs into separate bundles for patients to collect.

“Patients must register at our counter and tell us about their ailments.

“Once their particulars have been recorded, they are invited to take a seat and wait for their names to be called before proceeding into the main hall for the treatment process.

“When their name is called, we have two specialised people known as Fu Gei in Chinese, who would see to their ailments and from there, it would be decided which kinds of medicines are suitable for the patients’ consumption,” he said.

A patient having her legs massaged by one of the temple volunteers.

 

Patients would then wait to collect their medicine at the dispensary.

Aside from distributing free medicine, the temple offers massages as well for those plagued by weak muscles or muscle diseases.

On how the temple secured enough funds to procure the herbal medicine, Chung said they relied solely on public donations and contributions by the members of the temple.

“Everyone has been kind and generous enough in their donations, and this has allowed us to serve them better by sourcing for more medicine from warehouses,” he said.

He also noted that people from other races were also interested in seeking medication here.

“We have some Indian patients coming in every now and then, and there were a few times when we attended to Europeans as well,” he said.

Retiree Lim Chong Tee, 68, who visits the temple every night during their medicine-distributing session, said if not for the treatment provided by the temple, his hip and leg injury would not have healed fast.

“I went fishing two-and-a-half years ago and injured my hip and leg.

“I went to Western doctors for treatment but somehow my injuries showed no signs of improvement,” he said.

That was when his daughter’s friend had recommended that he try the treatment provided by the temple.

“I could start walking properly again after two months, and I could even go jogging after taking their medicine and being given their massage treatment.

“I’m grateful for the people here because other than providing commendable free service, they are very polite when attending to patients,” he said, adding that as a token of gratitude and goodwill he would occasionally donate RM5 or RM10 to the temple.

Homemaker Vikkie Yeong said she had experienced major discomfort due to wind pains after giving birth to her first child last year.

“I was extremely weak for three months after going into labour.

“Even when sitting down, I felt like I had no energy and it was difficult to breathe.

“My grandmother took me here to be treated, and their medicine was effective in revitalising my body,” said the 27-year-old, who found it unbelievable that the treatment provided was all for free.