Kowsar Hospital in Shiraz has created a Kindness Wall at the entrance of its various departments, providing a unique space to support needy patients. These walls, adorned with payment receipts, represent the solidarity of individuals who have never met each other but lift a burden off one another during difficult moments in life.
History of the Kindness Wall
The first Kindness Wall at Kowsar Hospital was launched on September 13, 2021, at the entrance of the nuclear medicine department. Zahra Yousefi, the cultural officer of this hospital, shares the motivations behind this initiative: "Our goal is to provide more support for patients, especially cancer patients who incur heavy costs for their treatments." Despite the hospital's efforts to offer services at lower costs, paying for treatments remains challenging for low-income patients.
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Functionality of the Kindness Wall
Currently, Kowsar Hospital has 6 Kindness Walls active in the laboratory, pharmacy, emergency department, women's and maternity ward, and radiology. Each wall is equipped with a card reader, allowing individuals to contribute any amount based on their financial capability. The payment receipt is posted on the wall as a sign of their participation in this charitable act.
Yousefi emphasizes that the collected amounts are allocated to a specific account, and the information is meticulously recorded in the hospital's financial department. These donations are utilized based on the needs of patients and in coordination with the relevant units. Patients facing difficulties in paying for expenses such as consultations, medications, or tests can refer to the respective units.
The amounts collected from the Kindness Wall vary each month, sometimes reaching 6 million tomans and at other times exceeding 20 million tomans. Yousefi states: "The value of this initiative is not limited to the amount of money collected; our goal is to keep the sense of responsibility and kindness alive among the people."
This act of compassion is not limited to the hospital. Ali-Mohammad Pashootan, a resident of Shiraz, expresses: "The Kindness Wall of Kowsar Hospital is well-known, but the scene of the Kindness Wall is repeated daily in front of bakeries and soup kitchens. We believe that in this way, we can multiply goodness and kindness."
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