MERCY Malaysia Hands over Aoral District Health Centre in Kampong Speu Province, Cambodia

Apart from the upgrade of its existing building, the project includes a new block for a maternity ward and pre-delivery check-ups and a donation in the form of an ambulance for critical cases that need to be referred to a medical centre like the Provincial Hospital in Kampong Speu or the General Hospital in Phnom Penh. MERCY Malaysia also donated a motorcycle which is used for the monthly outreach programmes in 26 of the 69 villages in the Aoral District, for villagers to be aware of better hygiene practices and common health issues. These programmes are planned until June 2011 with the cooperation of the Provincial Health Department of the Aoral District.

Both the project and programmes costs about USD91,809 (approximately RM285,526*) which is taken from MERCY Malaysia’s General Fund, consisting of a mix of contributions from the general public, groups and corporations 

“The Cambodian government is very happy for the support from MERCY Malaysia in improving the health condition of more than 20,000 people in the Aoral District. Previously, this health centre only caters to outpatient treatments but we now have 9 beds for the general ward and another 9 beds for maternity and pre-delivery treatments. Best of all, the ambulance will help us tremendously in referring critical cases to the bigger hospitals which is usually costly and difficult to reach due to the road conditions and distance,” Pen Sambo said in his speech.

“Since the completion of the upgrade of the facilities and the start of the outreach programmes to 26 villages surrounding the Health Centre, we have seen a marked increase of people coming in to seek treatment, which is a positive development for us because we know that more and more people are now more aware of their health condition and that they trust the Health Centre for their medical needs.” Pen Sambo added.

“From 1998-2003, we have 110 people dying from malaria in this district and every month, we have 20-30 cases of malaria. However, since the upgrade of the Health Centre and the outreach programmes 3 months ago, 3 people died from malaria in Kampong Speu Province but none of those cases come from Aoral District. This is a positive sign and I hope that everyone in this district takes advantage of the health facilities within their reach now.” Pen Sambo added further.

“MERCY Malaysia is happy to assist the government of Cambodia in their efforts to promote health awareness to the Aoral District population and that this collaboration is a significant symbol of the symbiotic relationship that has been built between us. This ceremony today marks our commitment and both parties now working hand-in-hand to provide sustainable health services to the local community,” said Norazam.

The handover ceremony was officiated by the Deputy Provincial Governor of Cambodia, His Excellency Pen Sambo; the District Governor, Mr Chem-Sarim; Aoral Health Centre Chief, Mr Chea Him; Kampong Speu Operational District Chief, Dr Eang Song and Kampong Speu Deputy PHD Director, Dr Say Savy.

 

About MERCY Malaysia

 

MERCY Malaysia is a non‐profit organisation focusing on providing medical relief, sustainable health-related development and risk reduction activities for vulnerable communities in both crisis and non-crisis situations. MERCY Malaysia recognises the value of working with partners and volunteers as well as providing opportunities for individuals to serve with professionalism. We uphold the Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and NGOs in Disaster Relief and hold ourselves accountable to our donors and beneficiaries. As a non‐profit organisation, MERCY Malaysia relies solely on funding and donations from organisations and generous individuals to continue our services to provide humanitarian assistance to our beneficiaries.

 

For more information, visit http://www.mercy.org.my.

 

Other facts on the project:

• Kampong Speu Province is situated in the plateau and mountainous region west of Phnom Penh. It is divided into 8 districts with a total population of 729,552 people, representing 5.2% of Cambodia’s population.
• Aoral District is northwest of Kampong Speu town and a total population of 20,217 in 69 villages. Some of the villages are inaccessible by road during the rainy season and a majority of them are located far away from each other.
• Apart from malaria, their main concern is to promote a change of mindset among pregnant women and families of pregnant women, to seek treatment at the Health Centre instead of relying on Traditional Birth Attendants (TBA) to reduce the mortality rate due to complications from giving birth. Many women still rely on TBAs for their deliveries due to the challenges in transportation.
• To assist in the change of mindset, the Health Centre also conducts bi-monthly training to 59 practising TBAs in the district to improve their delivery skills and better handling of birth complications for deliveries conducted at homes. The Government of Cambodia, however, strongly discourages the services of TBAs.
• For the Outreach Programme, a team consisting of one Health Centre staff and one village volunteer will visit each of the 26 villages to present and discuss with the community members on selected topics, mainly focusing on common diseases or topics of relevance to the local community. At the end of each session, a pack of iodised salt and a bar of soap will be distributed to each participant to promote good hygiene practices and nutrition levels.