GEORGE TOWN - ZAKAT Pulau Pinang (ZPP) has allocated RM5.3 million to help 835 Muslim patients meet their medical expenses at public hospitals in the state this year.

State Islamic Religious Council president Datuk Mohd Salleh Man said the financial assistance was to ensure that the poor and needy received adequate medical attention.

“The increasing amount of zakat that we receive every year has enabled us to help those in need,” he said after handing RM60,000 of the allocation to Penang Hospital, Kepala Batas Hospital, Bukit Mertajam Hospital and Seberang Jaya Hospital recently.

He said ZPP had also sent kidney patients for haemodialysis at centres that it owns in the state.

Penang Hospital deputy director Dr Jamaliah Abdul Rashid said the allocation would be managed by the hospital’s medical social work department.

“The money will be used to help those who need extensive medical attention but cannot afford it. We will also use the funds to buy medical equipment, including prosthetic limbs, wheelchairs and pacemakers,” she said.

Source: New Straits Times