Thousands to Benefit from Medical Equipment Donation to Prey Veng Province Health Centers

On April 18, 2024, at 9 a.m., a handover ceremony was held at Peareang Referral Hospital to recognize The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for their substantial contribution of medical equipment to eight rural health centers in the surrounding Prey Veng Province of Kandal Province, Cambodia:

· Prey Sneat Health Center

· Prey Pnouv Health Center

· Prey Sralith Health Center

· Kampong Popil Health Center

· Kanchum Health Center

· Roka Health Center

· Reap Health Center

· Kampong Prang Health Center

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Today’s ceremony was attended by Dr. Kalyan Huot, Director of Peareang Referral Hospital; Chansophea Reath, President of The Association of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Cambodia, and Sophaneth Yorn, Church Welfare and Self-Reliance Project Manager; along with hospital staff and several Church humanitarian medical specialists.

Dr. Huot expressed gratitude for the Church's support, stating, “The generous support of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is of utmost importance to these eight health centers and will help them better serve the people of this region. It is a charitable gesture that the people of this region can never forget.”

The donated equipment includes fetal dopplers, blood pressure monitors, blood glucose monitors, pulse oximeters, hospital beds, patient monitors, obstetrical instrument sets, and computer equipment. This new equipment will bolster the health centers' capacity to cater to the increasing number of patients in the district. Moreover, these additions align with the Cambodia Ministry of Health's national initiative to enhance and expand the treatment of diabetes and high blood pressure throughout the country.

In his remarks, Chansophea Reath shared the Church's motivation behind the donation by quoting Bishop W. Christopher Waddell, First Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric in his explanation of how the Church fulfills Jesus Christ’s charge to love their neighbor, “Who is our neighbor? Everyone is our neighbor . . . We reach out to everyone, whatever their circumstances may be, wherever they may be from, whatever race or religion. We're here to bless everyone that we can bless.” Reath also exhorted the Prey Veng Province health center staff to put the new equipment to effective use and to properly maintain it, ensuring that it can help provide care for many years to come.

The medical equipment donation commemorated today builds upon the Church's previous support in the region. In January 2020, the Church donated a new generator and ambulance to the Peareang Referral Hospital, significantly enhancing their ability to provide emergency services to residents of Prey Veng Province. The generator, rated at 150 KVA, ensures uninterrupted power supply to the entire hospital during outages, while the ambulance has reduced response times for critical patients in outlying areas.

The work in Prey Veng Province is part of the Church's Cambodia Health Improvement Effort (CHIE), which is inspired by the compassionate healing acts of Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry. CHIE was initiated in 2018 by the Asia Area Presidency of the Church in collaboration with government and healthcare leaders to provide training, equipment, and construction projects for health care institutions that serve the most vulnerable people in Cambodia.

Today's equipment handover event holds special significance as it takes place during the 30th anniversary year of the Church's official recognition in the Kingdom of Cambodia. Over its brief history in Cambodia, the Church has completed hundreds of humanitarian projects and energetically conducted spiritual outreach to strengthen individuals and families through the teachings of Jesus Christ.