Paying it forward for past care
PETALING JAYA: A widow turned what was once her grief into hope for others by donating a RM42,000 dialysis machine to the centre that took care of her husband.
After losing her husband to chronic kidney failure, Soh Sua Koo from Melaka saw the need to give back to the centre that stood by her family during their most difficult years.
'I knew how it was for me to support my husband and struggle financially at that time, just running a kopitiam.
'Now, I have some money and want to help others and do something meaningful in honour of my late husband,' said the coffee shop owner in Taman Pertam Jaya.
Soh's husband, Richard Kua Kee Juan, was a salesman at a Japanese automotive company. He was first diagnosed with hypertension at the age of 39.
Then, after his health deteriorated, Kua was told by doctors that he suffered from chronic kidney failure.
'It was around 1991 and we had to seek medical assistance at the dialysis centre in Bachang,' said Soh, 71.
'At that time, my children were still very young and I was running my shop and also helping out an old folks home where my mother-in-law was a resident.
'In my absence, the centre staff took good care of my husband,' the mother of two added.
Soh recalled that she had to juggle multiple jobs for money.
'Some people even told me to sell my house to pay for my husband's dialysis treatment,' she said.
Kua endured the condition for over 10 years before he passed away at the age of 51.
'When my husband left, I was lost for words. It was so tragic for our family because he was so young,' she said.
For Soh, the dialysis centre was more than just a medical facility.
It was a source of hope during one of the most challenging times of her life and now, it's time to repay her gratitude.
'I saw a brochure from the dialysis centre stating that it needed funds for new dialysis machines. So I quickly took the opportunity to donate one,' said Soh, adding that some of the machines there were very old.
The initiative to contribute a new dialysis machine was on her own accord.
The Bachang dialysis centre assists patients battling chronic kidney failure, particularly those from the low-income group.
To raise funds to support growing demand for treatment and for the purchase of new machines at the centre, a charity dinner will be held on Aug 18.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
9 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Court awards RM4.1mil to teen disabled at birth by delayed C-section
JOHOR BARU: A teenager who suffered severe brain damage at birth due to a delayed caesarean procedure was awarded RM4.1 million in damages by the High Court here, which found a doctor and the owner of a private maternity home liable for medical negligence. Judge Nurulhuda Nuraini Nor ruled that the 16-year-old boy, who now suffers permanent disability and is fully dependent on his mother, had been deprived of timely medical intervention after the doctor failed to perform an urgent C-section promptly. The boy was awarded RM600,000 in general damages and RM3.5 million for future rehabilitation care, while his mother received RM80,000 for emotional distress and anxiety. The court also ordered the doctor and the maternity home owner to pay RM100,000 in costs. In her written judgment, Nurulhuda held the doctor personally liable for breaching his duty of care to both mother and child, and found the owner vicariously liable for the negligence that occurred on their premises. The mother filed the lawsuit in 2020 on behalf of her son, who was born on Sept 28, 2009, at the privately run maternity clinic in Johor Baru. According to court documents, she had sought help at the centre around 10am, where the doctor advised a C-section due to the umbilical cord being wrapped around the baby's neck. However, the surgery was not performed until 7pm, -a delay the court found inexcusable. The newborn was sent to the Sultanah Aminah Hospital at 5.30am on Oct 1, 2009, after he displayed signs of lethargy, poor sucking reflex, and breathing difficulty. He was diagnosed with severe hypoglycaemia and infection. Later assessments confirmed he had suffered irreversible brain damage. Despite temporary discharge, the baby's condition deteriorated and he was eventually referred to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital, where a consultant child neurologist confirmed the extent of the injury. The defendants represented by counsel B Thinesh and Raja Eileen Soraya Raja Aman, have since filed an appeal against the decision.
New Straits Times
9 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Court awards RM4.1mil to teen disabled by delayed C-section
JOHOR BARU: A teenager who suffered severe brain damage at birth due to a delayed caesarean procedure was awarded RM4.1 million in damages by the High Court here, which found a doctor and the owner of a private maternity home liable for medical negligence. Judge Nurulhuda Nuraini Nor ruled that the 16-year-old boy, who now suffers permanent disability and is fully dependent on his mother, had been deprived of timely medical intervention after the doctor failed to perform an urgent C-section promptly. The boy was awarded RM600,000 in general damages and RM3.5 million for future rehabilitation care, while his mother received RM80,000 for emotional distress and anxiety. The court also ordered the doctor and the maternity home owner to pay RM100,000 in costs. In her written judgment, Nurulhuda held the doctor personally liable for breaching his duty of care to both mother and child, and found the owner vicariously liable for the negligence that occurred on their premises. The mother filed the lawsuit in 2020 on behalf of her son, who was born on Sept 28, 2009, at the privately run maternity clinic in Johor Baru. According to court documents, she had sought help at the centre around 10am, where the doctor advised a C-section due to the umbilical cord being wrapped around the baby's neck. However, the surgery was not performed until 7pm, -a delay the court found inexcusable. The newborn was sent to the Sultanah Aminah Hospital at 5.30am on Oct 1, 2009, after he displayed signs of lethargy, poor sucking reflex, and breathing difficulty. He was diagnosed with severe hypoglycaemia and infection. Later assessments confirmed he had suffered irreversible brain damage. Despite temporary discharge, the baby's condition deteriorated and he was eventually referred to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital, where a consultant child neurologist confirmed the extent of the injury. The defendants represented by counsel B Thinesh and Raja Eileen Soraya Raja Aman, have since filed an appeal against the decision. The plaintiff was represented by lawyers R. Jayabalan, N. Jegatheesan, Christopher Tan, and S. Shamilan.
New Straits Times
21 hours ago
- New Straits Times
High penalties trap consumers in unwanted wellness subscriptions
KUALA LUMPUR: Consumers attempting to cancel unwanted wellness subscriptions are being hit with penalties as high as RM58,000, the National Consumer Complaints Centre (NCCC) said. NCCC senior manager Saral James Maniam said that the RM58,000 penalty applied to just one service. The centre has also received complaints involving digital and media services. She said the NCCC had observed a rise in complaints from consumers who felt trapped by unwanted subscriptions due to excessive delays, steep penalties or complicated cancellation procedures. The centre is preparing a report covering 2019 to 2024 and does not intend to reveal complaint totals until its expected release in November. Saral said, however, that the figures were alarming. She said 77 per cent of the complaints received were related to wellness services, such as gyms, beauty, skin and weight management, with digital services in telecommunication and streaming making up the remaining 23 per cent. She said gym memberships topped the list at 42 per cent of total complaints, mostly from those aged between 18 and 40. Weight management programmes, which often come with hefty price tags and lengthy contracts, made up a further nine per cent. "This was followed by spa and beauty services at 14 per cent and facial or cosmetic skin treatments at 12 per cent, mostly involving working professionals and urban women aged between 20 and 45. "In digital and media services, telecommunications contributed 13 per cent and streaming subscriptions 10 per cent. "These services span all age groups, but subscription traps disproportionately affect elderly users and digitally vulnerable groups, including those unfamiliar with opt-out processes or digital billing," Saral told the New Sunday Times. Saral said more elderly consumers were also reporting complaints involving telecommunication services, especially over unsolicited charges and unclear auto-renewal plans. She said penalties imposed on consumers seeking to terminate contracts typically range from RM1,500 to RM5,000 for gym memberships, RM1,300 to RM10,000 for spa and beauty services and RM6,400 to RM40,000 for skin treatments. Other complaints included termination charges for telecommunication packages (RM300 to RM3,800), broadcast TV subscriptions (RM170 to RM10,000) and weight management programmes (RM1,500 to RM58,000). "Signing up for a plan is simple, but cancellation is difficult. "In many cases, consumers unknowingly commit to long-term contracts through free trials that automatically convert into paid plans. "These practices, whether designed intentionally or by inertia, unfairly skew the marketplace in favour of businesses, often at the expense of consumer rights and financial wellbeing." Saral said while the Consumer Protection Act 1999 offers safeguards, particularly for prepaid "future services", such as gym or tuition packages, it does not cover digital or auto-renewing subscriptions. Telecommunications contracts, she said, remain a regulatory grey area. Under current practices, service providers are allowed to impose early termination penalties at their own discretion, with little to no consumer recourse. "This puts consumers in a difficult position, either to tolerate poor service or pay a hefty sum to escape." Saral added that there was no standardised requirement for companies to waive penalties in cases of unresolved service failure. CONSUMER ADVICE She advised consumers to review contracts and cancellation terms before signing up, and to use credit cards instead of debit cards for recurring charges, which offer more protection for dispute resolution. "Do not scan QR codes or provide card information without verifying the merchant. "In one case, a consumer was charged RM99 after scanning a QR code on a water meter from a third-party service provider," She urged affected consumers to lodge complaints through my or take matters to the Tribunal for Consumer Claims. CALL FOR STRONGER PROTECTION Saral said Malaysia should adopt global best practices to close loopholes and strengthen consumer protections. She said the government should establish a centralised redress platform — a one-stop portal involving the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, Health Ministry and local councils — to streamline licensing, regulation and consumer complaints. "Each of these agencies and ministries is responsible for licensing, regulation and consumer redress in their domains," she said. Saral urged regulators to mandate clear disclosures on contract duration, auto-renewal terms, cancellation procedures and total upfront and recurring costs, practices already in place in countries, like Australia and the United Kingdom. "In Australia, the Competition and Consumer Commission enforces mandatory pre-contract disclosures. "In the United Kingdom, companies must comply with the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, ensuring full disclosure." Saral proposed a cooling-off period for high-value contracts, especially for gyms, slimming centres and beauty packages.
