Last Saturday night a group of us went to a concert titled “Beatocello” featuring Dr. Beat Richner, a Swiss surgeon and pediatrician. Dr. Richner was working in Cambodia in 1975, at the advent of the Pol Pot regime and in the past 17 years, has set up five hospitals in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. Before Pol Pot, Cambodia’s health system was of a standard above that of Singapore. Now, it is in absolute ruins with a generation of medicos wiped out (more than 900 of its doctors murdered during Pol Pot), and the country trying to claw its way back from virtual devastation.
His cello recital blended with (much) discussion and the screening of a video which stressed the huge needs of the Cambodian health system and the lack of financial support from the countries responsible for the war in the first place (primarily America and China). The WHO fails to provide the adequate attention or support, judging Cambodia’s needs on the size of the population and lack of finances. In short, they don’t believe Cambodia is worthy of funding to provide the good medicine and modern equipment which is necessary for diagnosis.
Kantha Bopha hospitals save 400 children’s lives every day, primarily from Tuberculosis, Dengue fever, Malaria, and burns, the latter the most common due to the fact that most of the cooking is done on the ground and children frequently fall into the fires. Increasingly it also diagnoses and treats the huge number of HIV cases, and where possible, prevents the spreading of HIV from mothers to their babies.
More than 9.5 million children have been treated in Dr. Richner’s Kantha Bopha hospitals in the past 17 years. The people are so poor, so help is free. Every day 1,600 healthy children are vaccinated and 3,000 sick children come to the hospitals.
Medication is provided free of charge to patients, guaranteeing authenticity. (80% of medication in Cambodia is fake, the other 20% toxic, hence the need to import all drugs from overseas; Switzerland, America and Thailand). Out patients are provided with a travel allowance to encourage follow up treatment which would otherwise be cost prohibitive to them with families / patients often needing to travel hours to reach a hospital from their village.
Dr. Richner’s closing request was age dependant. Considered ‘middle aged’, lucky me fell into the category requesting both financial support AND a blood donation. So, today (Tuesday), our happy group tuk-tuk-ed off to the Children’s hospital to donate our blood. Siem Reap now literally has our blood, sweat and tears!
