ER and ICU Renovations
Left: The new ICU will offer a higher level of care to AHC patients.
Right: Monks bless the new ER and ICU in an opening ceremony.
Following two months of work, AHC is very happy to announce the opening of
our newly renovated ER and ICU.
With double the floor space of our old unit, the area now allows us to provide
much better care for the ch ildren -- a designated triage and scerening area,
increased space between beds, and individual isolation rooms. An expanded
work desk and study area for the staff encourages discussion on patient care.
The additional space is also crucial in the event of a future disease outbreak,
such as last year's Dengue Fever epidemic, which stretched our ER and ICU
resources to the limit.
< back
Infection Control Workshops for Government Health Workers
AHC's Dr. Leakhena trains government staff.
Siem Reap Province is composed of fourOperational Districts:
Siem Reap OD, Kralanh OD, Angkor OD, and Sotnikhum OD. This year, in collaboration
with the Siem Reap Provincial Health Department, AHC is conducting various
training sessions for health workers from all four Operational Districts.
This month, AHC staf traveled to Kralanh to teach about avian influenza and
methods to improve infection control.
< back
Training on Interpersonal Communication
Skills
AED instructors proudly wear their AHC tee shirts
on a tour of Angkor Wat.
Communication with families is an important role for all health workers.
This month, training to increase the skills and knowledge of doctors and nurses
on how to more effictively communicate was conducted. The one-day workshop
was held at Angkor Hospital for Children in collaboration with the Academy
of Educational Development (AED). More than twenty AHC and government doctors
and nurses attended the session.
< back
Nursing Students
Cambodian nursing students study and practice at AHC.
AHC's national nursing student project continued in July. More than seventy
Cambodian nursing students arrived this month from Kampot Regional Training
Center and Kampong Cham Regional Training Center. The students' spent two-weeks
at AHC receiving child care lectures as well as supervised bedside practice.
The goal of the project is to increase the skills and knowledge of these future
health care workers by supplementing the training they receive at their schools.
In total, more than three-hundred Cambodian nursing students will study at
AHC this year. Since the program began six years ago, more than 1,100 Cambodian
nursing students have participated in the training.
< back
Cambodian National Elections
AHC nurse Sinn Chhomrath and friend display ink stained
finger tips, indicating their vote in the election.
National elections were held this month on July 27th. Elections occur once
every five years in Cambodia. Although lower than in the last elections, voter
turnout was about 75% of the country's eight million registered voters. The
preliminary results indicate that the Cambodian People's Party (CPP), lead
by Prime Minister Hun Sen, will claim a strong victory, winning the majority
of the National Assembly seats.
Book of AHC Stories Public
Kazumi Akao holds up her recently published book.
Kazumi Akao has ben with AHC since 1999 and acts as the Technical Advisor
for HIV/AIDS Home Care program. During her time at the hospital, she has witnessed
both the growth of the hospital and the development of the staff. For the
last several years Kazumi has been writing monthly articles for a nursing
magazine in Japan. A collection of those stories have been put together and
published. Proceeds from the sale of the books will go to Friends Without
A Border (Japan).
AHC Dentist Attends International Conference
Dr. Naren working in AHC's Dental Clinic.
Dr. Bou Naren has worked at AHC as the hospital's dentist since 2006. This
month, she attended the 6th Annual Conference of the Pediatric Dentristy Association
of Asia in Kuala Lumpur. The topic for the conference was enhancing children's
oral health through multidisciplinary care. Dr. Naren found the conference
to be extremely valuable and enjoyed making connections with dentists from
various countries and learning about the current dental practices in their
different nations.
Foods of Cambodia
Left: A trap used to catch crickets.
Right: A very nutritious dish of fried crickets, green onions, garlic and
chilies.
Cricket became a part of the Cambodian diet during the famine years of the
Khmer Rouge in the 1970s and has remained part of Cambodia's cuisine since.
An increased demand for the item in the last few years has lead to more and
more farmers setting up cricket traps.
To catch the crickets, traps are set out each night in the fields. A simple
piece of plastic is draped over bamboo or wood sticks and a flourescent light
is attached at the top to attract the insects. A small pool of water lies
at the bottom to trap the crickets as they hit the plastics and fall to the
ground.
Farmers can sell the insects to local markets for about 5000 Riel per kilogram
($1.25 USD), not an insigifnicant amount when the average income is only slightly
over $1 per day. Street vendors then purchase the crickets from the market
and prepare them with green onions, garlic and chilies. The vendors sell a
small can sized serving of the cooked and prepared crickets for 3000 Riel
($0.75 USD).
