Ma Man Kei, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and chairman of the Macao General Chamber of Commerce, has donated 10 million yuan (US$1.33 million) to the General Hospital of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA).

A ceremony was held in Beijing on Friday at which Ma handed over the check to the hospital's president Qin Yinhe and political commissar Wen Degong. He will add a further 1 million yuan to the fund annually over the next ten years.

The fund will be used as awards to hospital staff who have made breakthroughs in developing innovative medical techniques. It shall also be used to subsidize operations for low-income patients.

Ma was born in Nanhai, Guangdong Province, in 1919. He migrated to Macao in 1941. Since then, he has been a successful entrepreneur and business leader in Macao.

(Xinhua News Agency October 13, 2007)