Dato Aliyah Karen, CEO of MAA Medicare Charitable Foundation, shares the latest on its dedication to providing healthcare access for the underprivileged, including the foundations endeavour to set up Asias first cardiac diagnostic and treatment centre.
How did you get involved with the MAA Medicare Charitable Foundation?
The foundation actually started when a staff of MAA Medicare couldn’t afford dialysis treatments because she didn’t qualify for government facilities, yet was unable to afford private treatment. It was a real dilemma for her and so, the Chairman of MAA Holdings, Tunku Dato’ Yaacob Khyra, decided that the company would start a dialysis centre to help people facing the same predicament. MAA Medicare Charitable Foundation was registered in 1995 and I joined in 1998 as the General Manager while we were in the midst of setting up centres in Johor Bahru and, soon, Kuching as we wanted to expand our services. I took over as CEO in 2006 and it became my full-time baby. There was a time when I wanted to leave but the Chairman asked me: “Who am I supposed to trust the foundation with?” I couldn’t answer because there was no one I could pass this on to. I stayed but I couldn’t keep doing the same things, so I challenged myself: I want to do something different every year, so the team and I set our own goals and targets.
Speaking of challenges, what are some that you’ve faced at the foundation?
This story is from the October 2018 edition of The PEAK Malaysia.
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This story is from the October 2018 edition of The PEAK Malaysia.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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