Bumrungrad brings life-changing treatment to underprivileged Cambodian kids

Seven underprivileged Cambodian children were selected on Friday to receive congenital heart disease treatment at no cost at the Bumrungrad International Hospital in Thailand.

The programme is part of the Cambodia Healing Hearts Charity Project in collaboration with Bumrungrad Hospital Foundation and Bumrungrad International Hospital and backed by the Royal Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh, Samdech Techo Young Doctor Association (TYDA), Calmette Hospital and Thai Air Asia.

The project was established with the objectives of using the expertise and resources of Bumrungrad Hospital, to provide surgeries for underprivileged children in neighbouring countries.

Napas Paorohitaya, the representative of Bumrungrad Hospital Foundation and chief marketing officer of Bumrungrad International Hospital said the project was initiated with the objective to help children from poor families who are in real need of heart surgery.

“These children risk facing premature death or possibly stunted growth. A heart surgery is obviously a complicated undertaking that requires high medical expertise from specialists. In addition, there is the high cost of the surgeries which is not accessible to the needy patients.

“This is how Bumrungrad Hospital Foundation steps in to ensure the children are treated in a timely manner, thereby reducing complications and mortality rate while improving their health,” she said at a ceremony held at the Calmette Hospital in Phnom Penh.

Speaking to the media, Dr Preecha Laohakunakorn, head of project medical team and representative of Bumrungrad Hospital Foundation and Bumrungrad International Hospital said the selection process was a difficult one, adding that those selected are going to Bangkok because their cases were urgent compared to those who did not make it in the first group of the seven lucky ones.

“There were 15 children diagnosed and only seven of them were selected. This is because the doctors decided that their cases demanded immediate attention,” said Mr Preecha.

However, in a response to Khmer Times, he said, the eight others were not selected because their health situation was not as urgent as the seven others but this is not the end of the road for them.

“There will be many more selection processes in the future and the other children will have another chance to receive the treatment,” he said.

The Bangkok-based Bumrungrad International Hospital has a long history of offering free operations to Thai children.

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