In Cambodia, Emergency Medicine Training is Inspired by Jesus’ Example as a Healer
ការបណ្ដុះបណ្ដាលនៅក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជាអំពីការសង្គ្រោះបន្ទាន់តាមក្បួនវេជ្ជសាស្ត្រ ដែលទទួល​បានការបំផុសគំនិតពីគំរូរបស់ព្រះយេស៊ូវ ដែលជាអង្គនៃការប្រោសឲ្យជា

ដើម្បីអានជាភាសាខ្មែរ សូមចុច នៅទីនេះ

Emergency medicine in Cambodia is getting a big boost thanks to a healthcare training project funded and sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in alignment with Cambodia government priorities.

When senior humanitarian missionaries Elder Mark and Sister Marvel Earnshaw arrived in Cambodia in April of 2024, they quickly noticed a significant need for emergency medicine (EM) training. With better-trained first responders and frontline health care workers, many thousands of lives could be saved.

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“Access to providers who can make a difference in time sensitive situations is the core of emergency care,” said Elder Earnshaw, who worked as an emergency room doctor for 35 years in Portland, Maine.

“Good health is so basic to happy, productive lives,” said Sister Earnshaw. “The Savior is the Master Healer and sets the example of love for all He encounters. We simply have to follow His lead to bless the lives of so many in Cambodia."

In several other developing countries, good first aid training has reduced mortality significantly by improving response to life-threatening accidents, injuries and acute illness resulting in blood loss, breathing problems, trauma, shock, and altered mental status.

“Cambodia has some wonderful doctors and health facilities,” Elder Earnshaw said. “But they are concentrated mostly in the large cities and in the big hospitals.” Across most of the country, better EM resources and training are needed, especially in the many small health centers and district hospitals. Better first aid training for first responders is also needed.

It became clear to Elder and Sister Earnshaw that a countrywide program was needed to help frontline healthcare workers effectively assess and manage acute illnesses and injuries to save lives.

“We’ve been working on this project for several months,” said Elder Earnshaw. “A great deal of discussion and collaborative planning was needed with government and healthcare officials to obtain approvals necessary and move toward implementation.”

A good EM training curriculum was needed, and a team of experienced emergency doctors had to be assembled to do the training. 

Elder Earnshaw found that the Basic Emergency Care Course developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Red Cross, and the International Federation for Emergency Medicine, was an ideal fit for Cambodia. In several developing countries where it has been taught, the course has reduced mortality caused by injuries and acute illness by 35%.

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He found a team of Filipino emergency physicians, all master trainers and members of the Asian Society for Emergency Medicine, who were available to travel to Cambodia to start the training process.

In late March 2025, the inaugural training sessions were held. Collaborating with the Cambodia Ministry of Health and the Kampong Cham Provincial Health Department, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints paid expenses and sponsored the team of emergency physicians in Kampong Cham province to teach the Basic Emergency Care course over four days.

31 frontline healthcare workers from nine referral hospitals across Kampong Cham province were trained -- a mixture of physicians, nurses and midwives. “Though we had some issues with translation and interpreters, I was pleased with the team of facilitators and how flexible they were to assist this group,” said Elder Earnshaw.

The four days were filled with lectures, small group discussions and skills station training, followed by a written and oral test. Of the 31 students, 26 earned certifications, “but all went home with greater confidence when the next patient with life-threatening conditions presents to their hospital,” said Elder Earnshaw.

A second EM training course, also sponsored by the Church, was taught in early May in capital city Phnom Penh. The focus of this training was the EM leaders of national hospitals. The basic emergency course was followed by a “train the trainers” class. 16 frontline healthcare workers are now facilitators. Elder Earnshaw is working with the Ministry of Health to support expanding EM training across Cambodia. 

Detailed evaluations and assessments of the initial training programs are underway. A key goal is to prepare a core group of Cambodian healthcare professionals who can serve as future trainers, building local capacity and ensuring long-term sustainability. 

One Cambodian healthcare worker who participated in the initial training said, "Thank you very much for the training and to all the doctors from the Philippines who came to teach. This is new knowledge for me and it is very good to use this knowledge to help people in the places where I work. Finally, I hope that there will be more courses like this so that future generations will have the opportunity to learn as well."

The training evaluation concluded: “The successful launch of the WHO Basic Emergency Care Course in Cambodia marks a critical milestone in improving the country’s emergency healthcare services. By equipping frontline healthcare workers with essential emergency care skills, this initiative directly contributes to WHO’s global mission of strengthening emergency care systems in low-resource settings. Future efforts will focus on scaling up training and institutionalizing emergency care education within the Cambodian health system.”

For Elder and Sister Earnshaw, there is an important spiritual element in improving healthcare in Cambodia. “We love the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of the Master Healer,” said Sister Earnshaw.

“We especially appreciate Church members worldwide who contribute to the Church humanitarian fund which makes this service possible,” said Elder Earnshaw. “With other Church leaders, we are tasked with wisely using these sacred funds to bless the lives of ‘the least of these’, and we take that responsibility very seriously.”