The government of Japan donated over $506,000 to two recipient organizations under the framework of the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects, known also as KUSANONE grants, to implement projects at Takeo Physical Rehabilitation Center and Kampong Cham Provincial Referral Hospital.

The grant contracts were signed on December 8 between Ichitomo Taninai, deputy chief of mission at the Japanese embassy, and the representatives of the two recipient institutions.

The press release of the embassy of Japan said that the over $162,000 will go to the project for procurement of machines to produce prostheses and the construction of a dormitory at Takeo Physical Rehabilitation Center in Takeo province.

Under this grant, manufacturing and rehabilitation equipment for a total of 15 kinds of prosthesis will be installed and a dormitory for patients will be built at Takeo Physical Rehabilitation Center (PRC).

“Through this project, it is expected that 700 patients annually visiting the PRC will benefit from the improved facility and service,” the statement said.

The other $343,000 will go to a second project called Project for Construction of Maternity and Neonatal Building at Kampong Cham Provincial Referral Hospital in Kampong Cham Province.

The grant contracts were signed on December 8 between Taninai Ichitomo, deputy chief of mission at the embassy of Japan, and the representatives of the two recipient institutions. PHOTO SUPPLIED

This grant is used to construct a three-story building for maternity and neonatal care at Kampong Cham Provincial Referral Hospital in Kampong Cham province.

It said this hospital has been facing issues such as overcrowding of mothers staying at the current maternity building, and the lengthy distance to the neonatal care unit which takes too much time to transfer newborns during emergencies.

“By constructing the new Maternity and Neonatal building, it is expected that the hospital can provide proper space for maternity patients to rest after delivery and provide necessary treatments promptly to infants in need,” it said.

Japan’s “KUSANONE” Projects started in Cambodia in 1991 to support Cambodia’s reconstruction and development at the grassroots level. Since then, the government of Japan has provided over $65 million for mainly local authorities and non-governmental organizations to implement 669 KUSANONE projects throughout Cambodia, the statement said.