Tate Papworth
Western Health staff working on the frontline in the fight against COVID-19 won’t lack personal protective equipment.
St Albans’ generous Quang Minh Temple community recently donated 10,000 medical masks, 5000 gloves and 50 plastic protection masks to Western Health and local nursing homes.
Dr Nhan Phuc Pham said the community didn’t want doctors, nurses or health care workers to go without masks and were concerned after hearing about a lack of supply.
“Our community has a very good sewing tradition, in the past women made clothes for soldiers to fight in the war, today we make masks for the white-shirt soldiers (health care staff) at hospitals that are the main force,” he said.
Western Health community fundraising manager Danny Crabb said staff were blown away by the gesture.
“Once again please extend my deepest thanks to the Vietnamese community for the wonderful and outstanding donation of over 10,000 items that you helped facilitate on Friday,” Mr Crabb said.
“This is going to make a huge difference to our doctors, nurses and patients at Sunshine, Footscray and Williamstown Hospital.
“All of the masks are in our storeroom at Sunshine Hospital, ready to be used.”
It’s not the first time members of the Vietnamese community have dug deep to help.
Last year, members of the temple raised more than $300,000 to bolster the Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
The funds were used to purchase a neonatal intensive care transport cot to provide for the safe transfer of sick and premature babies to the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
Six neonatal cameras that allow families remote viewing of their babies were also purchased with the money raised.
While in January, they helped rattle tins at the St Albans lunar festival, raising a staggering $20,000 to help support those impacted by the recent devastating bushfires.
