Sarawak allows chapel in govt hospital
Published on: Sunday, March 20, 2022
By: Herald Malaysia Online
The Sarawak Heart Centre is the first government hospital to have a chapel within its compound. (Pic: Herald Malaysia)
KOTA SAMARAHAN: The Sarawak Heart Centre became the first government hospital in Malaysia to have a chapel within its compound.Archbishop of Kuching and Association of Churches Sarawak (ACS) Chairman, Most Rev Simon Poh, blessed and officially opened the Sacred Heart Chapel on March 4.
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“The chapel is not only to be used by Christians but it has also been partitioned as a prayer space for people of other faiths as well,” he said.
The prelate told DayakDaily that the heart centre “will be a role model in Malaysia. The chapel is a symbol of mutual respect, acceptance of differences of various religions, faiths, and cultures”.
Archbishop Simon said, on requests by the hospital’s Christian staff and patients, the Catholic Church had been conducting monthly Masses at the hospital since 2015 – either in small rooms or along the corridor. Seeing the need, Hospital Director Dr Mohd Asri Riffin agreed to have a chapel built within its compound.
In his speech, Dr Mohd Asri said the hospital was all about taking care of the needs of the people of all faiths to create a harmonious atmosphere.
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“I believe every religion teaches people to love and respect each other, and Sarawak as a state of multiple races and religions, requires mutual respect and tolerance. This is a great example for the world,” he said.
“We are thankful for the allocation from the State Government and Unit for Other Religions (Unifor) for making it possible to have a place, not only for the Christians to pray but for all of us of different faiths to come together and strengthen our ties and bonds.”
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Unifor Sarawak director Richard Lon said, “This is an inclusive initiative. It is not only a chapel for Catholics, but we aim to create a place for people of other faiths to find quiet time to pray and seek strength in times of need.”
He added that building a chapel in a government health facility would not be possible without Dr Mohd Asri’s support.
“Dr Mohd Asri has been there since the beginning as he sees patients needing a place to worship,” said Lon. He added that plans are on the way to set up similar facilities in hospitals in other parts of Sarawak, with assistance from local organisations and communities.
Archbishop Simon thanked UNIFOR for contributing RM280,000 towards the chapel building fund, while the Catholic Church chipped in RM100,000.
The chapel cost around RM400,000 to complete.
Aside from a monthly Mass said at the chapel, anyone may enter and pray. The chapel will be open Mondays to Fridays from 8am to 5pm.
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