Aug 2015 - Tour of Tung Shin Hospital

Tung Shin Hospital, which was founded in 1881 by Mr. Yap Kwan Seng, has a history of providing affordable medicine for the community.

On September 30th, Malaysian Culture Group added a footnote to Tung Shin Hospital’s history by being the first group to visit its Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) facility.

 

          On arrival, we were offered Chinese tea and given goodie bags.  Encik Dahari bin Masud, the hospital’s Marketing Manager and two members of his team showed us 2 videos and then answered questions.  Tung Shin Hospital is a not-for-profit facility and the only hospital using western and TCM treatments.  

The hospital is affiliated with the National Cancer Society.  Their out-patient clinic provides 24-hour service. The staff also serve the community through a mobile charity clinic which provides free treatments and medicine to an average of 100 patients a day.  

Tung Shin Hospital is comprised of two buildings: one for western medicine and a U-shaped building for Traditional Chinese Medicine.  The majority of TCM practitioners on staff come from China, Taiwan and Korea.  Malaysian doctors must complete four years of study with at least two of those years being based in China. 

Led by Mr. Greg Cheah and Ms. Lim Mee Bing, we were taken to view the hospital rooms, the acupuncture department and the medical massage clinic.   Their dispensary stocks approximately 500 herbs.  Our last stop was the decoction room where remedies are ‘brewed’ to individual patient’s specifications.  At the end of the tour, we were each given a packet of a special blend of their herbal tea.

We are grateful to the doctors, staff and the patients at Tung Shin Hospital for their cheerful reception and patience in dealing with a group of inquisitive ladies.  A thank you goes out to Michelle Speed and MaryAnn Diakow for arranging this interesting and informative tour.   I think it’s worthwhile considering an appointment at Tung Shin Hospital for my next annual medical!

 

Review by Randee Duncan