A mother brings her child to the Kantha Bopha Children’s Hospital in Phnom Penh in June. Hong Menea
The Kantha Bopha Children’s Hospital continued its robust provision of high-quality and dependable medical services to Cambodian children free of charge in August, with more than 20,000 seeking its services, an increase of 2,000 over the previous month.
Last month, 20,595 children were treated in the outpatient department, an increase of 1,777 from July’s 18,818, while 3,798 seriously ill children were admitted, an increase of 1,047 from 958, it said in a report released on September 1.
The report said 34 children with dengue fever were hospitalised, while 1,194 children underwent surgery – an increase of 80 from 1,114 in July.
The number of children who underwent open-heart operations and catheterizations in Kantha Bopha children’s hospital in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap was 36, an increase of six from the previous month’s 30.
The report said that in the maternity ward of the Jayavarman VII Hospital (Kantha Bopha III), 2,412 pregnant women were examined and treated on an outpatient basis, an increase of 1,827 from the previous month’s 2,585.
Women also gave birth to 1,344 children at the hospital in August, an increase of 72 from the previous month’s 1,272.
“All treatments are free for everyone without discrimination,” the hospital’s report said, as usual repeating in mantra-like fashion the principle and policy that has given the organization a saintly reputation the world over.
Swiss Kantha Bopha Foundation director-general Denis Laurent told The Post on September 1 that this increase of patients being seen month-to-month is actually a good sign and due to the stability and improvement of the Covid-19 situation in Cambodia.
“Many families decide to come to our hospitals because they know we are doing the best treatment for their children while respecting the rules against the Covid-19 spread, especially by the systematic rapid diagnostic tests for children, pregnant women and families at the time of admission,” he said.
Denis Laurent said the challenges at the present time are to admit every severely ill child and all of the pregnant women who are close to their delivery date and to do so in the best conditions that guarantee the safety of the patients and the staff from the virus.
“In terms of the budget in this critical situation, we still have the support from the Kantha Bopha Foundation in Switzerland and the Cambodia Kantha Bopha Foundation, and I would like to thank all of the Cambodian citizens and the Cambodia Kantha Bopha Foundation for their indefatigable support for our hospitals,” he said.
During the first six months of 2021, Kantha Bopha children’s hospital received approximately $15.7 million in donations, an increase of 9.7 per cent compared to the same period in 2020, said Kantha Bopha Foundation of Cambodia’s press release in July.
Overall, however, due to the sharp drop in tourism these past two years and the resulting lack of admissions being sold to Angkor Wat – a key source of funding for Kantha Bopha’s five facilities – revenues from all sources remain much lower than pre-pandemic numbers, and the foundation is welcoming all private donations of any size from individuals or other trusts.
