Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC Malaysia) and the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH) today signed an agreement officiating the establishment of the newest Ronald McDonald House at Hospital Tunku Azizah in Kuala Lumpur, formerly known as Hospital Wanita dan Kanak-Kanak Kuala Lumpur. The Ronald McDonald House at Hospital Tunku Azizah, which is the third of its kind in Malaysia, is expected to be completed by the 2nd quarter of 2021.
As part of the agreement, RMHC Malaysia will donate the funds needed to furnish and convert the Medi Hotel in Hospital Tunku Azizah into Ronald McDonald House, a “home away from home” accommodation facility for families of pediatric patients who are receiving treatment at the hospital. The Ronald McDonald House will be located on the 10th floor of the hospital parking complex, equipped with 20 family rooms as well as a dining area, lounge, kitchen, laundry room, prayer room, playroom and other facilities for occupants. RMHC Malaysia will also help to sustain and maintain the facility at Hospital Tunku Azizah.
Azmir Jaafar, President of RMHC Malaysia as well as Managing Director and Local Operating Partner of McDonald’s Malaysia said, “RMHC Malaysia is committed in changing the lives of Malaysian children. We’re honoured to partner with the Ministry of Health in providing families of pediatric patients at Hospital Tunku Azizah with this much needed accommodation facility, especially for B40 families that live outside of Kuala Lumpur. The house will help families remain close to their critically ill children and focus on their treatment and recovery.”
“We have seen how our first two Ronald McDonald Houses have benefitted families in need from our previous partnerships with university hospitals, which is why we are now collaborating with the Ministry of Health to equip the Ministry’s women and children hospitals with Ronald McDonald House, especially those that receive a high influx of patients. This underscores our promise of ‘Keeping Families Close’ through the Ronald McDonald House initiative,” added Azmir.
Aside from the Ronald McDonald House in Hospital Tunku Azizah, the two other Ronald McDonald Houses are located at Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (HCTM-UKM) in Kuala Lumpur, which has been operating for more than 20 years, as well as at Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital (Hospital USM) in Kubang Kerian, Kelantan.
There are currently more than 370 Ronald McDonald Houses across the globe, providing a place to stay for families with hospitalised children seeking treatment at nearby hospitals and medical facilities.
“The Government commends RMHC Malaysia for driving an initiative such as this. Temporary accommodations such as the Ronald McDonald House is very unique as it enables families that do not have the financial means – especially those from the B40 group – to stay together with their children
during the extended periods of pediatric medical treatment. On behalf of the Ministry of Health, we hope efforts such as this will encourage other NGOs and corporate bodies to partner with the Government in upgrading the healthcare facilities at hospitals, for the benefit of Malaysians,” said Y.B Dato’ Sri Dr. Adham Baba, Minister of Health Malaysia.
Azmir also emphasised that the construction of this latest Ronald McDonald House would not have been made possible without the contribution from McDonald’s customers via the RMHC Malaysia coin box located at more than 300 McDonald’s restaurants nationwide, business partners, McDonald’s employees, as well as franchisees.
“I am pleased to see that through the contributions of many different parties, we are able to build yet another Ronald McDonald House for the use of more families in Malaysia. We appreciate their generosity and will continue to champion the needs of Malaysian children through the funds we receive,” added Azmir.
RMHC Malaysia conducts 4 main programmes to help Malaysian children, which are the Ronald McDonald House, Ronald McDonald Sensory Room, Gift of Smile, and Back-to-School packs for primary school children from underprivileged families. These programmes encompass the 3 core pillars of RMHC Malaysia which are Health, Education, and Welfare.
In addition to the RMHC Malaysia coin box, customers can also make donations via the Self-Ordering Kiosks at McDonald’s restaurants as well as digital payment channels such as PayPal, Boost, or Touch ‘N Go e-wallet.
Contact the Ronald McDonald House Charities Malaysia at 03-7843 3388 if you are interested to volunteer at Ronald McDonald House at Hospital Tunku Azizah or collaborate with RMHC Malaysia to help Malaysian children and their families.