Mosque donates £47k to East Lancashire hospitals (From Blackburn Citizen)
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Mosque donates £47k to East Lancashire hospitals
9:00pm Thursday 22nd September 2011 in News
DONATION Hospital chief Mark Brearley, centre, receives the cheque from Lord Patel of Blackburn, right watched by members of the Bicknell Mosque in Blackburn
MEMBERS of an East Lancashire mosque have donated £47,000 to provide home comforts for patients at Royal Blackburn Hospital and Burnley General Hospital.
Blackburn peer Lord Adam Patel and representatives from Masjid-e-Tauheedul Islam mosque in Bicknell Street met health bosses to present the gift this week to the hospitals’ charitable fund.
It is used to improve equipment for patient areas, and pay for additional patient “comforts and amenities”, outside of what the NHS normally provides.
Speaking to health chiefs during a presentation event, Lord Patel said: “At Bicknell Street mosque we have always taken part in charity work.
“When the hospital needed a new MRI scanner we contributed generously, there was a need in the eye department and we also donated there and throughout the world we are collecting handsome money for charities in Pakistan and India and to people who are suffering in Africa.
“We have collected this money for this particular purpose for East Lancashire Hospitals to contribute something back.
“We want to prove ourselves as good citizens. We need to work together because this is our hospital and this is for the East Lancashire community.
“We are delighted to continue to offer our support.”
Mark Brearley, East Lancashire Hospitals’ chief executive, said the donation was a “fantastic gesture”.
He said: “I want to thank you on behalf of the organisation and its staff – we will put this money to good use.
“The NHS over the last 10 years has seen quite a significant amount of investment.
“We know because of the world economy and economy in this country that this investment could not be sustained.
“What we need to do is to spend the money we have as wisely as we can do, to ensure the best possible coverage and service for you.”
Professor Iqbal Singh, consultant in elderly medicine, said working with the mosque had helped build important relationships.
He said: “We cannot improve healthcare and health without getting right to the heart of the community.”
Comments(14)
editor1988
says...
9:55pm Thu 22 Sep 11
carrman2
says...
11:13pm Thu 22 Sep 11
righteousjudgement
says...
12:18am Fri 23 Sep 11
Come on guys we need someone to point out that £47k is nowhere near enough for the Muslim community and that they should have sent the money to Pakistan or something....
Well done and thank you to Tauheedul Islam for the very generous gesture but did we have to let the labour mascot "Lord Patel" take credit for this???
With the labour government having put so many hospitals under the PFI scheme and now that they are on the brink of financial collapse, maybe it now seems like a good idea to have more mosques around to give handouts (one for the B&D planning team to think about maybe???)
halfhearted
says...
9:25am Fri 23 Sep 11
But I will continue to comment on subjects if I think the Asian people deserve to be commented upon along with the white population.
I would like to see Lord Patel,get more involved with issues relating to the town.
Interocitor
says...
7:23pm Fri 23 Sep 11
Interocitor
says...
7:27pm Fri 23 Sep 11
ste.g
says...
7:55pm Fri 23 Sep 11
jack daniels
says...
8:10pm Fri 23 Sep 11
Faithless
says...
7:29pm Sat 24 Sep 11
Pendlesider
says...
10:31pm Sat 24 Sep 11
soup123
says...
4:17pm Sun 25 Sep 11
misterman
says...
5:29pm Sun 25 Sep 11
01wipatel
says...
5:18pm Tue 27 Sep 11
misterman wrote:Muslims can donate blood however organs cannot be donated.
While on the subject of donating,do muslims donate organs or blood.I don't know,and would be interested to know the answer.
anotherview says...
9:35pm Thu 22 Sep 11