Free Clinic

At Tzu Chi’s free clinic in Lahad Datu, medical care became more than just treatment. For a woman living with years of pain, it offered renewed hope. For a mother longing to hear her daughter’s voice, it brought a glimmer of hope. And for a doctor who stepped into a patient’s home, it revealed the hardship behind physical illness — and brought a deeper meaning to healing.

For families living without legal identity documents, falling ill can mean more than pain. It can mean delaying treatment, borrowing beyond their means, or simply enduring illness because medical care is too costly to access.

Tzu Chi Miri Liaison Office organized their second free medical outreach this year on November 3, 2019, to benefit the locals at Kuala Baram Jeti Lama.

For three consecutive years, Tzu Chi Kuching and Kelab Cabaran Pacuan 4 Roda Bintulu (4x4) have co-hosted a medical outreach programme. This year, the medical outreach was held at the inland area of Ulu Baram, Miri Division. With the aim of spreading love and care, this outreach programme provided medical treatment and health education to 455 residents of seven longhouses.

In this place, young people witness the natural laws of life, getting old, being sick, and suffering in bitterness, helplessness and impermanence; the elderly are not lonely – learning to care for others, from being passive to becoming active. In this place, doctors, patients and volunteers encourage and care for one another, bringing warmth and energy to the otherwise chilly clinic.