The prime minister’s wife, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, has handed over a donation of RM163,000 to three charitable organisations.

The donation was raised from a recent Petro Charity Nite charity dinner organised by the Global Doctors Hospital.

The recipients were the Malaysian Rare Disorders Society (MRDS), the National Autism Society of Malaysia (Nasom) and Childline Malaysia.

“I’m very happy that Global Doctors organised this charity drive and that the collection was a success.

“I thank the donors, sponsors and participants who dug very deeply into their pockets to contribute to these noble causes and those in need,” Dr Siti Hasmah said at the donation handover ceremony in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Dr Siti Hasmah presented the cheques to MRDS president Datuk Hatijah Ayob, Nasom chairman Feilina Muhammad Feisol and Childline Malaysia project director Datin PH Wong.

Also in attendance were Global Doctors executive chairman Datuk Dr Sharifah Fauziah Alhabshi and MD Dr Navindra Nageswaran.

MRDS was established in 2004 to represent individuals and families affected by rare disorders. Currently, the organisation manages over 200 patients with 80 types of disorders.

Nasom, which was formed in 1987, now has 15 centres nationwide with seven in Kuala Lumpur. Each centre offers various screening and diagnosis services, as well as support plans to assist people with autism, especially children and their immediate family members.

Childline Malaysia is a national 24-hour freephone emergency outreach service for children in need of care and protection.

Proceeds from the donation will be used to expand the helpline to include an online crisis chat service.

“There are a lot of conditions that need our attention. Parents and teachers must be aware of and recognise these conditions at an early stage. Some are taken out of school when they are small children. All they need is our help.

“I applaud these organisations for reaching out. We cannot rely solely on the government It is these non-governmental organisations (NGOs) who have stepped in to help out,” said Dr Siti Hasmah, who is the country’s second female Malay doctor.

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