The Nokor Tep Hospital in Prey Sar commune of Phnom Penh’s Dangkor district. Heng Chivoan
The government has bought a private hospital in Phnom Penh to specifically treat Covid-19 patients as public hospitals are running out of bed space to accommodate the daily influx of increasing numbers of new patients.
“The government has negotiated to buy Nokor Tep Women’s Hospital and has changed the name to Luang Mer Hospital. The owner of Nokor Tep Women’s Hospital will use the purchase money to build a new hospital,” Prime Minister Hun Sen said in an interview with local media Fresh News on March 27.
He said Luang Mer Hospital has started treating Covid-19 patients from March 27 onwards. The hospital is located in Prey Sar commune of the capital’s Dangkor district. It is the second major hospital after The Great Duke Hotel, which has been transformed into a Covid-19 treatment facility for patients with mild symptoms.
After Hun Sen’s announcement of the Nokor Tep Women’s Hospital purchase, some tycoons with the honorific Oknha began to donate money for the purchase. As of March 28, nearly $10 million has been donated by oknhas including Leng Navatra, Ly Yong Phat, Pung Kheav Se and owner of Chip Mong Group.
Hun Manet, deputy commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, had led forces to set up the Luang Mer Hospital to make it operational.
“Seventeen days after receiving the prime minister’s order to set up a new large-scale hospital for the treatment of Covid-19 patients ... the former Nokor Tep Women’s Hospital has now started treating patients sent by the Phnom Penh health department,” he said in a Facebook post on March 27.
Manet thanked the hospital management team and all stakeholders who worked day and night to cooperate in the preparation of infrastructure, work standards, as well as training front line medical teams, frontline services in all relevant departments of the hospital to make it ready for use in such a short time.
Minister of Economy and Finance Aun Pornmoniroth on March 24 set up an inter-ministerial commission to evaluate, negotiate and prepare a contract for the purchase, but he did not reveal the cost.
The Nokor Tep Women’s Hospital was built in 2011 under the Nokor Tep Foundation with Minister of Women’s Affairs Ing Kantha Phavi as one of the co-founders.
The land covers 1.5ha with a building area of 25,000sqm, five floors, a water supply system equipped with a solar system. It also has a 350 KWA backup generator equipped with an automatic transformer.
The hospital has a capacity for 500 patients, including 80 emergency beds and 420 beds for general treatment. It is also equipped with standard medical equipment and supplies for midwifery and gynaecological services.
