Since its inception more than eighty years ago, Penang Adventist Hospital is the only comprehensive hospital that purposefully and diligently embraces a “wholistic” approach to healthcare in Penang.
“Wholistic medicine” denotes that people are treated as total beings—mind, body, and spirit. Total patient care provides for a person’s spiritual as well as physical and mental needs. The Chaplaincy programs (pastoral care) at Penang Adventist Hospital are key services in total patient care. These services are offered free of charge because of “A Passion to Heal, A Heart to Care.”
When lives are in the balance and uncertainty overcomes a person, a kind word, gentle touch, whispered prayer, or an empathic presence can soothe a soul and bring efficacy to the healing process. During such moments, chaplains offer critically needed spiritual and emotional support; ministering to patients, their families and medical staff through unconditional love, sacrifice and service.
The chaplain’s services are not confined to the boundaries of the hospital alone. Follow up services are extended to ex-patient in the comfort of their homes visitation by request for emotional and spiritual care.
The in-patients of the hospital are welcome to participate in the Sabbath service especially organized for them in the auditorium of the College of Nursing on Saturdays.
Pastor Francis Amer
Chaplain, Penang Adventist Hospital
465 Jalan Burma, 10350 Penang, Malaysia
Tel: +604 222 7657 Ext. 7657
Fax: +604 226 3366
Email: francisamer@pah.com.my
Thought of the Week
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
May the blessings and the peace of the Lord be with you all.
HOW DO I OBTAIN WISDOM
"But do people know where to find wisdom? Where can they find understanding? No one knows where to find it, for it is not found among the living....For it is hidden from the eyes of all humanity." Job 28:12, 21
Wisdom is not easy for people to obtain because God holds all wisdom in his hands. Wisdom comes from having a relationship with the God.
Obedience to God's word-his commands, laws, and teaching-will make us wise. If you need wisdom, ask God, and he will give it to you. Listening to God's teaching and obeying his words will give wisdom.
Furthermore, God gives wisdom and guidance to those who are humble. Remember wisdom will help you to succeed in what you do and helps you know how to live. In addition, wisdom will help preserve us from trouble and disaster.
A New Year with a new start! We are looking forward for a new spirit to work for God. We will continue to pray that our service to our patients will continue to give impact into their lives. Whether we realize it or not, many patients who have come to our hospital have appreciated our service that we have rendered to them. Indeed, our visits make a difference in their lives. Many who have come for follow-up with our doctors mentioned that they like this hospital because of the uniqueness of our mission. They believe that "God heals, we help."
In this unique ministry, we listen to the concerns of patients and their family members. We assured our patients from illness into wellness of their mind even when they are dying. This is a unique challenge by helping someone who is dying to face the future. We render our service during constant emergency. Chaplaincy work deals with the human documents that have a lot of intense work highly focus on illness. This is where we deal with individuals where they are at their most vulnerable spot at their deepest level and allowing them to say what is really in their hearts without the concerns of why they are there.
Volunteer chaplains, your service is most treasured when our patients needed help. We want to thank all of your for your willingness to be on-call to minister to the needs of our patients. I believe this year will be another challenge for us as we fulfill the mission of this hospital to plant the seeds of hope into their lives. Our work is to help people stay connected with their spiritual side. We can be their spiritual mentors.
This year Chaplaincy department is planning to have training for all volunteers. I hope and pray that this training will give us new motivation to serve Him. We will update you when the time comes.
We especially want to encourage volunteer chaplains to volunteer your time to be on-call when you are available. We will continue to send you rough on-call calendar and we need you to let us know your available time so that we can slot you into the on-call calendar schedule. Even if you are not able to be on-call, you are invited to come to visit patient at your own convenient time during office hours. Just let us know and we are glad to assist you.
Starting from this year onward, the Chaplaincy department has prepared volunteer chaplain’s gown that will be used during our visit to patients. This is to identify us from other staff of the hospital; and further more it is for infection control.
Our next volunteer chaplain’s gathering will be on March 21, 2010. Please take note of this. We are looking forward to working with you again this year. May God bless everyone.
What makes a difference between Adventist and other private hospitals? Our vision and mission of PAH clearly defines our purpose and our existence. Inscribe at its entrance, “God Heals We Help,” that makes us different than others. The hospital exist with that purpose of recognizing that God is the healer of sickness and we are just the instruments used by God. To many who come to seek for physical healing, they also have an opportunity to discover God’s love through the work of our doctors, nurses and staff.
One patient ever mentioned this to us, “I can see angels of God walking around this hospital.” Who are these angels we ask ourselves? Everyone who serves in this hospital is God’s angel. We are demonstrating the love of God through our services that comes from the heart to serve the community.
Indeed, the service of our volunteers does making a difference. We give our patients mental, emotional and spiritual support. We work as a team together with our medical personnel to bring healing to our patients.
Patients suffering with terminal illness greatly need our support. Coming near to them or we call it ministry of presence is very important. At times, we have nothing to offer them or just being silence means so much to them. This is where we need to build up our relationship. As what Orlando Jay Perez mentioned in his book “A guide to creating a Meaningful Patient Experience in Every Healing Encounter says, “Better patients experience yields better healthcare outcomes.” This is where Chaplains will instill a sense of trust, belonging and hope as they seek healing our hospital.
A patient with terminal illness would feel alienated, bored and lonely. This is where they need a sense of belonging. They need to know that they are not alone. You need to affirm them that you are there for them so that when they leave the hospital they need to have a sense of hope.
Gasping his breath and he said “thank you for accompanying me.” This patient in his early 50’s who was diagnosed with lung cancer. At first he was very positive that he would soon be healed. He shared many things about life, his family, and his business. He didn’t have many friends except his wife who visited him everyday. He didn’t believe in God but happily accepted prayer being offered to him. I visited him everyday to encourage and to give mental, emotional and spiritual support. There were times that he was alone when no one talked to him. I was there to instill in him a sense of trust, belonging and hope.
He learned to trust in me by sharing many things in life even by giving me the words of wisdom on how I should live my life to bless others. At the same time he felt the sense of belonging. He would also cooperate with our medical personnel who attended to him. He was friendly even in his sickly condition. I shared with him many words of affirmation from God that He is a loving God who cares for each one of us in time of need. Often times I would read the words of God beside his bed. He would just listen and hold tight to my hands when I prayed for him.
After receiving treatment for almost three months in our hospital his condition was getting worst. One morning before being discharge, his wife requested me to pray for her husband. She said that her husband wanted to go home because he didn’t want to die in the hospital. Few days after being discharged, he passed away peacefully. After the cremation service, I was privileged to be invited to conduct a special ceremony of “throwing ashes” of her husband into the sea by using their blue ocean cruise liner witnessed by their close friends.
Our work is to touch the live of people in this very unique setting. Let us continue to serve Him because this is the very task that He has entrusted to us. We need your continuous support by volunteering yourself in this worthy course.
For your information, there will be no volunteer gathering in the month of December since many of us will be away for holiday. We will keep you update on the next meeting in January 2010.
