Community: mymedicalmission
Branch: 馬來西亞分會
Buddhist Tzu-Chi Dialysis Centre (Penang)
That morning, we welcomed a group of international postgraduate students from USM’s Environmental Technology faculty—hailing from Egypt, Myanmar, the USA, Russia, Bhutan, Eswatini, Nigeria, Rwanda, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, and beyond. Through the Centre for Global Sustainability Studies (CGSS), they are currently in Penang for environmental internships, and joined us to learn about Tzu Chi’s Four Missions.
We started by sharing the centre’s story—from the cycle of “illness leading to poverty, and poverty worsening illness,” to how collective compassion made this dialysis centre possible, giving patients a second chance.
In the dialysis ward, Nurse Najwa introduced dialysis care, balanced diet, and CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease) prevention. Seeing the actual dialysis needles left the students struck and full of curious questions, highlighting how crucial our daily health choices are.
What followed was Nurse Yi Fan’s touching sharing about a visually impaired patient’s journey, where the students witnessed true resilience. They reflected deeply on the reality that “health” requires both long-term physical care and mental fortitude.
Then, a Kenyan student, shared his past experience tutoring underprivileged children and expressed a wish to volunteer with Tzu Chi. In that moment, we saw firsthand how a simple visit can spark a global ripple of kindness and action.
“Transient though life may be, one’s contributions will live on; as love knows no boundaries, its spirit will always remain.”—— Jing Si Aphorisms by Master Cheng Yen
