Parents bring their children to get health service at Kantha Bopha Children’s Hospital. Hong Menea
In the first half of this year, the Kantha Bopha Children’s Hospital reported an alarming surge in paediatric admissions. With almost 500,000 children treated, including approximately 90,000 severe cases requiring hospitalisation, the figures represent a rise of over 100 per cent compared to the same period last year, as outlined in a summary report of the hospital’s six-month activities.
The report further detailed that 392,034 children were treated as outpatients, reflecting a 52 per cent increase from 2022. Of these, 88,930 were identified as severe cases and admitted as inpatients, which marks an overwhelming rise of 108 per cent from the previous year. Included in these figures were 1,326 children suffering from severe dengue fever.
Surgical procedures were performed on 12,747 children, 457 of whom underwent open-heart operations and catheterisations at the Kantha Bopha Children’s hospitals, located in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.
Speaking on the issue, Ky Santy, director of the Kantha Bopha Children’s Hospital in Phnom Penh, highlighted the myriad health challenges children face. These included respiratory disease, premature birth, seasonal infectious diseases, surgical diseases, dengue fever, congenital heart disease, and injuries from traffic accidents.
Santy appealed to parents to maintain a clean and hygienic environment for their children. In an effort to combat dengue fever, he called for collective action to eliminate the habitats of female mosquitoes.
“Parents should avoid self-treatment for their children when they are sick, but seek the proper treatment from a health centre or referral hospital,” he cautioned.
The report further revealed that the Kantha Bopha Phnom Penh and Jayavarman-VII hospital in Siem Reap province has approximately 2,200 beds. An average of more than 3,000 children per day are treated in the outpatient department, with around 2,000 in Phnom Penh and 1,200 in Siem Reap. On a typical day, 500 seriously ill children are admitted, with an average of 2,000 hospitalised, including about 500 in the emergency room.
Confirming that roughly 80 children undergo surgery each day, the report pointed to serious traffic accidents, lung surgery, digestive surgery, neurosurgery, and open-heart operations as frequent causes. It stated that 60 per cent of paediatric diseases are caused by bacteria and viruses.
“During the rainy season, dengue fever and respiratory infections, especially pneumonia in young children, could be life-threatening,” the report warned, underscoring the pressing need for continued vigilance and effective preventative measures.
