The Church of Jesus Christ Bolsters Healthcare in Phnom Penh with Vital Hospital Contributions (
សាសនាចក្រ​នៃ​ព្រះយេស៊ូវ​គ្រីស្ទ ​នៃ​ពួកបរិសុទ្ធ​ថ្ងៃ​ចុងក្រោយ ជំរុញគាំទ្រ​សេវា​សុខាភិបាល​ក្នុង​ទីក្រុង​ភ្នំពេញ ជាមួយនឹង​ការចូលរួម​ចំណែក​ដ៏​សំខាន់​នៅមន្ទីរពេទ្យ)

ដើម្បីអានជាភាសាខ្មែរ សូមចុច នៅទីនេះ

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On January 11, 2024, the Phnom Penh Municipal Health Department organized a handover ceremony recognizing substantial medical equipment donations and facility renovations by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints across eight referral hospitals in the Phnom Penh area over the past twelve months.

Dr. Phaly Sophany, Director of the Sensok Referral Hospital, began the ceremony by welcoming His Excellency Mr. Imran Hassan, Deputy Governor of Phnom Penh, and other distinguished guests. Dr. Ngy Mean Heng, Health Director for Phnom Penh Province, began the ceremony by thanking the Church for its strong commitment to improving the health care in Cambodia.

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Elder Brent Muhlstein, a cardiologist and Church humanitarian missionary who helped oversee this project, reminisced about his first meeting with Dr. Heng, who was one of the first people he met when he first came to Cambodia 17 months ago. Dr. Heng shared with Elder Muhlstein his vision to improve the care for non-communicable diseases such as diabetes mellitus that are on the rise in Cambodia. Dr. Heng had told Elder Muhlstein that he could provide the education for the medical staff but needed the specialized medical equipment necessary to provide care for these diseases. He specifically requested Hemoglobin A1C machines that are vital for diagnosis and treatment of diabetes. He also requested X-Ray equipment to help with bone fractures and Electro-cardiograms (EKG) to vital to treating heart disease.

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Thousands of patients have already benefited from the use of these machines. “I have been very impressed with the quality of the staff at these hospitals,” Elder Muhlstein said. “They have a good education and good skills. They only needed the equipment.”

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Chansophea Reath, the President of The Association of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Cambodia, reminded the ceremony audience that the donations for these referral hospitals came from Church members from 188 countries around the world. “We appreciate the relationship we have with the medical community and want to continue to have a great relationship,” he said.

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In his address, His Excellency Mr. Hassan thanked the Church and the leaders of the hospitals for executing this amazing project. “The Association (of the Church) wants to help improve the health care here in Cambodia. We are so thankful for the renovations and the equipment and the training.” He then presented certificates of appreciation to Church representatives involved with this project.

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The handover ceremony took place under a festive red and blue tent outside the Sensok Referral Hospital, one of eight hospitals to benefit from this project. The other hospitals were Dangkor Referral Hospital, Chbar Ampov Referral Hospital, Pochentang Referral Hospital, Phnom Penh Municipal Referral Hospital, Samdech Ov Samdech Mae Referral Hospital, Chaktomuk Referral Hospital, and Prek Pneu Referral Hospital, all located in the Phnom Penh Province. Fortunately, the equipment was in place and ready for use when a toxic gas explosion at a nearby ice factory required the hospitalization of 24 patients at Samdech Ov Samdech Mae Referral Hospital in September 2023.

The equipment donations and facility renovation across the eight Phnom Penh area hospitals mentioned above is part of the Cambodia Health Improvement Effort (CHIE) organized by the Asia Area Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. CHIE is a new approach to improve health care and provides humanitarian aid for Cambodia people in need. Working in collaboration with government and healthcare leaders, CHIE provides training, equipment and facility construction and renovation assistance. The program was initiated in 2018.