Over 10 years of operation, the charity kitchen of Khanh Hoa Provincial Psychiatrics Hospital (Dien Phuoc Commune, Dien Khanh District, Khanh Hoa Province) has offered free portions...
Over 10 years of operation, the charity kitchen of Khanh Hoa Provincial Psychiatrics Hospital (Dien Phuoc Commune, Dien Khanh District, Khanh Hoa Province) has offered free portions to poor patients.
Nguyen Thi Hoa, a member of the charity kitchen says, the food is divided, arranged and put in trays for every patient. The breakfast begins at 8am, lunch at 11:15am and afternoon meal at 4:30pm. A portion is worth only some VND22,000, but assures sufficient nutrition with 3 dishes.
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Nguyen Thi Lanh, Phuoc Hai Ward, Nha Trang City, a mother a mentally-ill patient says, “My family is poor. My child has been in hospital for 5 years. Thanks to free meals from the charity kitchen, my child can have a long-term treatment here.”
Nguyen Quang says, “My wife is suffering from Schizophrenia for 3 years. Free meals have helped relief my financial burden and thus I have more time to work to pay my child’s tuition and my wife’s hospital fee.”
According to Dr. Nguyen Duy Thanh, Director of Khanh Hoa Psychiatrics Hospital, the charity kitchen was founded on August 2013. The kitchen has received nearly VND29 million from benefactors.
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| Preparing lunch for patients. |
“We have made effort to knock on doors to seek donations from companies, organizations and individuals to the charity kitchen to help more and more needy cases.”
With 83 free portions available a day, patients benefiting from the charity kitchen have increased from 15 initially to over 27.
Bui Hong Thai, President of Khanh Hoa Sponsoring Association for the Disabled, Orphans & Poor Patients, is also one of benefactors of the charity kitchen.
All local hospitals have charity kitchens with free meals available for 22 days a month due to the lack of funding while free meals are availabe at the charity kitchen of Khanh Hoa Provincial Psychiatrics Hospital everyday .
Apart from free meals, vocational training such as making flowers, brooms, threading beads, etc. has been provided for the patients's successful integration into the working life when the recover. This is significant effort of the managing board of the hospital.
N.T
