Medicare Resources - Characteristics

Characteristics

Medicare Resources Ltd is a special non-government organization which is based in Hong Kong but focuses its social service work in China. It has close links with Evangelical Free Church of America but it is independent from the church. Before the handover of Hong Kong in 1997, as the issue of intervention of religion from the PRC government in China remained uncertain, Medicare Resources Ltd decided not to be established directly under the church. This independent characteristic enables Medicare Resources Ltd to do charity in a more direct and flexible way in China as it enjoys the advantage of having close connection with Evangelical Free Church of America and at the same time, the free space to self-administer.

Medicare Resources Ltd is a world-based non-government organization. Even though the founder, John Neir, comes from Evangelical Free Church of America, Mediare Resources Ltd is a partner of Hong Kong-based Evangelical Free Church of China and accepts all donations from all around the world.

Medicare Resources Ltd was established as a “human-based” non-government organization. It does not spend a lot on advertising and promotion; it spends most of its fund in Hubei, China where the service area is. Directors of Medicare Resources Ltd has close relationship with the officials and they benefited by constant visits to Hubei. This is meant for the staff to examine whether the funds are well spent in various projects.

Medicare Resources Ltd engages in charity work according to the will of God. It usually does not involve a lot of planning beforehand as it believes that God will plan everything beforehand. One example is the charity done in Fengjie. In 2000, the head of War-planning Bureau of Chongqing, who is interested in Christianity, visited the Evangelical Hospital at Hong Kong and met John Lee, the founder. The head arranged a meeting between Lee and the head of Hygiene Department of the province and they showed interest in cooperation with Medicare Resources Ltd. They gave 3 places for Lee to choose for cooperation and Medicare Resources picked Fengjie because the facilities of Qinglong were too old to improve while the situation of Wanzhou was not as urgent as Fengjie.