One by One

Is there such thing as happy hospital wards?

Of course! Just start with changing the dull-colored walls to calming tones of green and blue and paint sea creatures on the walls and curtains.

Amway Malaysia has transformed gloomy and forlorn wards into cheerful facilities at the pediatric sections of government hospitals. Amway hopes to cheer up young patients during their stay at the hospitals to recover.

In 2006, Amway committed to renovating pediatric sections of six government hospitals, working with the Ministry of Health. When the sixth ward was renovated, Amway committed to another six wards from 2009 to 2011.

Last month, Amway handed over the ninth refurbished facility at the Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital in Kota Baru. The ward was fitted with energy saving fiberglass wool to make the room cooler and give some relief to the children and staff. The depressing white walls have been transformed into colorful murals with lots of characters. One of the young patients said, “I look at the wall and I feel like swimming with those creatures under the sea!”

“We wish for the children to have speedy recovery from their illnesses. We hope that the cheerful environment will boost their mental well-being and in turn will help their physical recovery,” says Paul Yee, Amway Malaysia General Manager.

Thanks to Joanne Yap and Sri Soekarmoen for contributing to this article.