Lau King Howe Hospital Memorial Museum
Sibu, Sarawak

Lau King Howe Hospital Memorial Museum is a tribute to this cherished former hospital and the revered gentleman behind its establishment.

The Law King Howe Hospital was the first modern hospital in Sibu, established in 1936 and it remained the only hospital in the region until 1994 when a new General Hospital opened in town. As such it played a major role in the lives of the whole community.

Mr. Lau King Howe was born in 1869, the son of a Pastor, in a village in the Hokkien Province of China. After schooling at Methodist Anglo-Chinese College, Foochow, he qualified as a teacher in the Philippines and subsequently became the principal of the Philippines Chinese School. He returned to China in 1914, and, after a spell in government service, he became a businessman in Shanghai. In 1916, at age 47, Mr. Lau King Howe moved to Sibu to seek better opportunities. He ran a rubber plantation and made his fortune.

Towards the end of his life, seeing that medical facilities in Sibu were inadequate, he proposed to the Rajah Brooke government in 1930 to build a new hospital with costs to be shared between him and the government. He believed that instead of leaving his wealth to his sons, who might waste it, it would be better to donate it to the government to build a hospital.

Construction of the new hospital commenced in 1931 and, while he did not live to see its completion, it was named in his honour.

After the General Hospital opened in Sibu the Law King Howe Hospital closed down and most of it has since been demolished, however the outpatient clinic, pharmacy and emergency departments were preserved and converted into this museum.

Exhibits at the museum cover the range of services provided by the hospital from newborns to dentistry.

Kind nurses making a fuss over these Siamese twins.What happened to them we wonder?

Nurses uniforms through the decades.

Nice Sarawak belt buckle.

The history of the Pharmacy section contains some interesting history such as the story of the famous 'KK' tablet (paracetamol), how liquid medicines were sometimes dispensed in old ketchup and beer bottles, and how iodine was added to Sibu's salt supply to reduce goitre. You will need to visit the museum to find out more!

Museum Verdict

Although I am not a big fan of hospitals I found there was quite a lot of interesting stuff in this museum.
It is air conditioned.
Free of charge. Donations are welcome.

Opening Hours and Ticket Price

Open from 9am to 5pm Daily Except Monday.

Entrance Ticket

Admission is free.

How To Get to Lau King Howe Hospital Memorial Museum

The location is shown on this map:

Address

Lau King Howe Hospital Memorial Museum
Jalan Lau King Howe, 96000 Sibu, Sarawak

Parking

There are municipality parking spaces in front of the museum but you have to pay.

Contact

Tel: 019-868 4139

Official Website

Nearby Attractions

Share this page:

Facebook X Pinterest Tumblr Reddit WhatsApp Messenger

AUTHOR BIO

David (the one on the left) is the writer behind Malaysia Traveller, sharing first-hand travel advice from over five decades of living and travelling across Asia and the Middle East. Based in Malaysia since 2009 and now in Kuching, he has published over 790 pages on this website, personally visited every place he covers, and uses only his own photos. Readers can learn more on his About Me page. He also shares updates on Facebook and YouTube. He loves uncovering overlooked places that even some Malaysians have never visited.