Volunteer doctor
KOMPONG ROTEH, Cambodia (UCAN) — A medical team from South Korea’s Daegu Fatima Hospital has made its third annual trip to Cambodia to provide free health care under a joint initiative with the country’s Jesuits.
The Catholic hospital sent 15 volunteer doctors, dentists, nurses and pharmacists to work at Kompong Roteh church in Kompong Thom province.
The team, which provided eye, ear, dental and blood pressures checks, as well as treatment for minor illnesses, was deluged with villagers from the surrounding areas.
Sister Pontip Keo King, a coordinator of the Nov. 18-23 program, had expected up to 1,100 patients but 2,700 turned up.
Kim Sarak, 45, who came to have his eyes checked, said he was very happy because poor people like him do not go to hospital unless their sickness becomes very serious. “We can’t afford it,” he said. “We need money to support our children.”
Thim Srey Mao, who brought her husband and children for a health check, said her mother had obtained medicine for stomachache from the Korean medical team the previous day, and given some of it to her. “I got well quickly!” said the 26-year-old Buddhist woman.
Students from the Royal University in Phnom Penh volunteered as translators.
Volunteer doctor Jungahn Rhee said the team had come as part of its Christian outreach.
“Cambodia is in a similar situation to Korea 50 years ago. We were recovering from a civil war and had a lot of poor people with health problems,” he said. “Many NGOs came to our country to help us then. So now we want to help other poor countries like Cambodia.”
A team from Daegu Fatima went to Battambang province in the country’s northwest in 2007. They came to Kompong Thom last year and this year, and are expected to return here next year too, said Sister King.
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