Kampong Chhnang provincial authorities have detained a married couple after the husband – who was a military medic – allowed his untrained wife to treat a child. The “treatment” resulted in the paralysis of the girl’s left leg. Health officials are investigating the case.

The suspect was known as So Saroeun, while his wife was not identified. The 9-year-old victim lives with her grandmother in Teuk Phos district’s Khlong Popoak commune.

Provincial police chief Khov Ly told The Post that the couple were arrested on March 22 and had been taken to the police station for questioning following a complaint from the girl’s guardian.

“The victim complained because the girl went to the medic for treatment, but he instead allowed his wife to administer an injection – which she was not qualified to do. We do not yet have an exact medical understanding of what happened, but the girl’s leg was paralysed,” he said.

Ly said the suspects were detained for further questioning according to standard legal procedures. Police and medical specialists were still cooperating to discover the cause of the victim’s injury.

Provincial health department director Prak Vun told The Post that the arrest was made because the medic had been neglectful and allowed his unqualified wife to treat the girl. This was against the law as well as medical ethics, he added.

He said the incident happened in late 2021, and despite seeking treatment elsewhere, the girl’s leg was still paralysed.

“We do not know all of the details yet – we are still working on this case, and cannot immediately explain the cause of the injury. We need to investigate it in detail before we can ascertain the cause. The suspect has been detained for unprofessional conduct,” he said.

He added that So Saroeun is a former military medic who was licensed to open a clinic. After this incident, his licence had been temporarily suspended.