A Free Clinic Made Possible by Everyone’s Loving Efforts
The Buddhist Tzu Chi Traditional Chinese Medicine Free Clinic is located just a stone’s throw away from Khatib MRT station. Before the clinic opened its doors, Tzu Chi volunteers and staff did a thorough cleaning of the venue and went to the nearby neighbourhoods to introduce the clinic to the residents. A training for the reception volunteers was also conducted to highlight the ways of showing empathic care to patients, with the aim of adding a human touch to the clinic.
With a brightly lit, simple and clean environment, the Buddhist Tzu Chi Traditional Chinese Medicine Free Clinic is built with the love of many volunteers.
After the renovation works have completed, Tzu Chi volunteers helped to clean up the clinic’s venue. About 100 shifts of volunteers also visited the nearby residents to introduce the free clinic to them.
Resident:
Yours is a free clinic. I feel very happy. Everybody welcomes you here. We’re all very happy.
Tzu Chi volunteer, Choo Pui Voon:
All of you serve as the patients’ eyes and ears. When the new patients come in, they don’t know anything here. You are the ones who know about this clinic.
While waiting at the free clinic, the patients will feel more at ease and relaxed if there are volunteers-on-duty to guide and care for them. Hence, a training was held for the volunteers to help them understand how the clinic is run.
TCM doctor, Theng Foong Mui:
A patient who is ill will feel much pain and discomfort. Hence, we must make him feel comfortable here, so that when he steps in, he won’t feel like he has entered a clinic.
Tzu Chi volunteer, Tan Seok Kee:
We strive towards humanistic care. We often speak of healing the whole person, including the body and mind. When the elderly patients come in and see how warmly our volunteers greet them, they will feel very very happy.
The Free Clinic has started operating in September. Its doctors, staff and volunteers work together to safeguard the health of people in the community with love.
（大爱新闻 张玉佳 蔡赞泽 朱运涛 林矜锟 新加坡慈济基金会报导）
