July 5, 2018

Sibu Tales : Canvas Beds in Lau King Howe Hospital

When the Foochows first arrived in Sibu, they were very adaptable and quickly learned to use the nipah leaves as building materials.

For house beams and posts they learned to fell nibong trees and other trees which were plentiful.

Soon the tailors learned to use canvas 
帆布
 to make foldable beds . (None of those Foochow pioneers ever thought that canvas beds would become a special part of their beloved hospital.)
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These beds were so convenient that soon every household had a few of them. Shop keepers acquired a few for their shop assistants, who actually doubled as security guards for their shops. In fact many shop assistants slept in these beds the whole of their life.   The word canvas is derived from the 13th century Anglo-French canevaz and the Old French canevas, meaning "made of hemp".

The Lau King Howe Hospital had less than 400 beds by the 1970's and often it was so full that many patients were given canvas cots or army style camp beds to sleep on.

When I was warded for the delivery of my second child in 1979 I was given a camp bed as the maternity ward was full to the seams.Image may contain: outdoor and nature

When I lay down to rest , my back actually touched the cold cement floor as I was really very overweight since I was already full term.. Actually it did not take very long for me to go into labour. Often I wondered if it was the cold cement floor that sent me to an early labour.

The doctors and nurses were kind and helpful and after the birth of my daughter, I was put in the First Class Ward, to be discharged after a night's rest. This was the procedure as the hospital was 100 per cent occupied.



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