The world of Tzu Chi March 2020(Vol.120)

2020 • 03 24 for assistance, as the latter is a pharmacist by profession. Kim Lin’s company has sponsored medical supplies for many of Tzu Chi’s free clinic sessions in the past. For this mission, the company supplied 100 bottles of hand sanitizing liquid, 100 bottles of adult multivitamins, 130 bottles of vitamin C supplements and 30 boxes of herbal supplements to boost immunity for children. “I empathize with the immense pressure the individuals evacuated fromWuhan have been facing. Those who were found to have symptoms were immediately sent to the hospital, while the remaining were sent to a monitoring centre under the watchful eye of so many police and security personnel. It’s indeed intimidating,” figured Kim Lin. Despite working at a pharmacy, KimLin is powerless to redress the severe shortage of face masks, as he explained, “Ninety-five percent of face masks in the market are sourced from China. However, China, Taiwan and India have prohibited exports of face masks, so our only option is to depend on local manufacturers, who are currently occupied with meeting the demand for face masks from government hospitals. The general public will most likely have to wait.” One of Kim Lin’s customers, who returned empty-handed after scouring through more than 20 pharmacies around Petaling Jaya for face masks, travelled all the way to Klang to collect the ten face masks Kim Lin saved for him. “I sympathized with him. His cancer-stricken mother is currently undergoing chemotherapy and needs to wear face masks as she is weak and vulnerable,” said Kim Lin. “Some of the face masks sold in the market are poor in quality. I’ve seen face masks that are too flimsy to offer adequate protection from virus particles. Nevertheless, there is demand for even low-quality face masks that are selling for up to RM100; everyone is desperate.” On February 6, the MOH requested help from Tzu Chi to source for books and toys for those quarantined in the monitoring centre. Once again, Mun Keat wasted no time in mobilizing the volunteers to gather books and toys from various recycling centres. “We classified the books and toys collected according to age-appropriate categories for children. Besides that, we managed to gather copies of Reader’s Digest and TheWorld of Tzu Chi for the adults’ reading pleasure.” The 14-day quarantine period ended on February 18, when the quarantined individuals were finally allowed to leave the monitoring centre. Four counters were prepared at the centre for those released from quarantine to settle post-quarantine procedures, including filling in departure forms, obtaining certification declaring them free of Covid-19 to be submitted for leave applications or insurance claims, retrieving passports or renewing travel documents, as well as arranging for logistics and transportation. Tzu Chi volunteers were present throughout to provide interpreting services to those who require assistance, in addition to distributing care packages, each consisting of Jing Si health products, a card of well wishes and a hanging ornament symbolizing peace. The children also received a face towel each. At the end of the mission, the NADMA team expressed their gratitude to the volunteers for their tireless efforts throughout the past fortnight. The volunteers continued to offer assistance to the second batch of Malaysians evacuated from Wuhan on February 26, accepting the responsibility as none other than a volunteer’s obligation with an altruistic spirit. eature