Assunta Hospital
Reply by a Senior Physician
I have read the correspondence that has been going on regarding Assunta Hospital. I am puzzled by the letter from A Concerned Malaysian. He first apologizes to the Bishop and the Catholic sister. He then holds them and the Catholic church responsible for the debacle that has occurred.
Concerned Malaysian must know that the Bishop and the Catholic mission may not know anything about this state of affairs. They usually leave it to the trustees while they concentrate on getting donations for the hospital. Church leaders and the clergy live a life of prayer and a belief that God will take care of their problems.
This may explain what happened to the Catholic schools. They used to be premier schools for the whole country. It was not only a source of pride to the Catholic mission, it could have been a method to influence the minds of future leaders of the country. Unfortunately the church never moved with the times and the political changes that swept across the country. Now schools such as SFI, SJI and SXI are relics of a grand past and lie almost forgotten and decaying where they once stood.
Who are the relevant authorities that this Concerned Malaysian is going to turn to? The Ministry of Health (MOH) was probably compliant in this final state of affairs. The enforcement agencies of the MOH have been powerless to investigate Assunta before. So going to the MOH will be useless. Who else is he going to turn to?
Wait. I think there is one possible agency that he can go to for help. This is the division of the MOF that is responsible for tax free institutions that use public money. Concerned Malaysian has a right to demand that this agency do a public audit on Assunta Hospital and report its findings to the people who have contributed money.
If this does not work he will have to seek the services of a lawyer to find out if he can take some form of legal action against Assunta.
In spite of these exchanges in the blog, it is surprising that Assunta Hospital has not responded. It may be because all that has been alleged is really true.
I hope Concerned Malaysian succeeds. Best of luck.
