Medical Assistance


As soon as Kate got known locally for her support services, people called upon her with medical needs. At first, she assisted people on a case-by-case basis, making unannounced visits to ascertain if financial help was actually needed. Funds were allocated for treatments of curable illnesses like tuberculosis treatment, appendix removal, prosthetics and other health matters.


Of course, word of mouth sent more people over and T.K.S.S. charity projects expanded drastically. In 2004, Yuen Yee Charity Foundation of Hong Kong had launched and financed a "Medical Relief Fund" for the poor populations who could not afford proper health care services in town hospitals.


T.K.S.S. served as an intermediary body between Yuen Yee and Rongjiang County Community Hospital, strongly supported by its head Mr. Yi and his medical staff.


Under the Medical Relief Fund, claims from the Community Hospital were sent to T.K.S.S. in the form of a brief medical history, what treatment was necessary, and why the individual could not afford treatment. T.K.S.S. would then verify every particular claim and prioritise, based on the medical grounds and funding limitations. Comprehensive reports would then be forwarded to Yuen Yee for final approval and fund release afterwards.


Thanks to the donation of a vehicle by Yuen Yee, Hong Kong and project operating costs by Monica Chui, Hong Kopng through Hong Kong Christian Council, jointly supported by Rongjiang County Community Hospital, T.K.S.S. has been able to start with a "Rural Mobile Clinic Project". The purpose of the project is to deliver primary health care to remoter villages on a monthly schedule, functioning since spring 2009. This has allowed ethnic Miao villagers from San Pang, Gao Dong & Wu Jia Zhai easy access to preventative and family planning services.

From September 2013, Hong Kong Christian Council started to sponsor 2 new ethnic Miao villages of Gao Tai & Gao Geng in Rongjiang County, in co-operation with Rongjiang County Cummunity Hospital.

T.K.S.S. is responsible for the expenses on planning, accounting and administration while the Hospital looks after the medical aspects of services. The medical team stays for 1-2 days on location and people from neighbouring villages come to receive checkups, immunizations and other medical services. If necessary, the vehicle can take patients to the hospital for further treatments.


In 2008, after the School Construction Project could basically fulfil local educational needs, T.K.S.S. shifted the focus on building local "Village Clinics Project". Urgent needs existed as mountain dwellers were unable to reach even primary health care services when needed. Delayed proper medical treatments oftentimes lead to deteriorating health conditions and unavoidable death.


The counties of Rongjiang and Congjiang are administratively divided into 20 townships and smaller villages. Under each local administrative level, being a town or village, 4 or more settlements exist. The total numbers of village clinics required would be a minimum of 80. But due to tight central government budget (only covering for 2/3 of the needed funds) and limited local available matching funds (the remaining 1/3 needed, to be raised from provincial and or county level) annual construction rate is targeted at a mere 4 clinics per County.


T.K.S.S. started to build village clinics located at most remote and desperate areas. The first was completed in Jiazhou Village, Congjiang County in April of 2010. Staffed by at least one qualified health worker, these clinics will provide more fully operational local health care services than the mobile clinic will allow for, with the expanded abilities to provide further treatments up to minor operations.