Spotlight on Eye Care at AHC
Angkor Hospital for Children’s ophthalmology department, established in 2002,
continues to rapidly grow and develop. Currently, the ophthalmology department
provides quality care to over two hundred children each month. AHC treats
a wide range of ophthalmologic complications including conjunctivitis, refractive
error, blunt eye trauma, penetrating corneal injury, or uveitis, among others.
The hospital is fortunate to have two qualified individuals on staff: Dr.
Phara and Ms. Channy. Dr. Phara is a pediatrician and pediatric ophthalmologist
for AHC and works alongside Channy, the hospital’s optometric technician.
Together they provide free patient consultations and perform procedures for
a wide range of pediatric eye problems; most commonly congenital cataracts,
strabismus, ptosis and glaucoma.
In addition to providing consultations and in-hospital care, the AHC ophthalmologic
team tends to nine schools and multiple orphanages throughout Siem Reap province.
During school and orphanage visits, the ophthalmologic department is able
to provide screening to over one thousand children per month for basic sight
problems, such as myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. Furthermore, Channy
provides teachers with basic optometric training, enabling them to conduct
student sight screenings, hence allowing them to identify children requiring
ophthalmologic care.
Fortunately, the hospital is currently able to provide spectacles, free of
charge, to all children seen in the hospital and participating schools and
orphanages, thanks to gracious financial gifts from SEVA and many other supporters.
As AHC continues to grow and develop, it is our hope that we will continue
to provide quality care to improve the lives of the children of Cambodia.
Surgery
More than a few lucky children received free surgery at AHC
this month, including 31 children who underwent surgery for cleft lip and
palate repair.
In developed countries, this congenital condition is usually surgically repaired
early in life. In Cambodia there is a lack of qualified pediatric surgical
specialists for many conditions. With the technical support of visiting surgeon
Dr. Pape, from Germany, AHC surgeons are able to offer this procedure several
times each year.
Five year old Kour Savy from Banteay Meanchey Province (pictured below) was
one of the lucky children receiving surgery this month.
Before surgery (Left)
A few days after surgery (Right)
Training and Education
In addition to the on-going, regularly scheduled education classes provided
to AHC hospital, in November training also included:
- Nursing Care to 16 nurses from rural government Health Centers
- First aid training for 5 family members of children admitted to the hospital
- Dental education to more than 500 Cambodian children through AHC’s Dental
Outreach Program
It was also a busy month for AHC staff learning and teaching outside of the
hospital:
- Dr. Pagnarith and Lina presented at an international conference on meliodisos
in Thailand
- Dr. Chheng at training of Advanced Pediatric Life Support (APLS) in Australia
- Dr. Vuthy engaged in a study tour in Singapore
- Dr. Lyda, Dr. Pagnarith, and Dr. Vuthy gave presentations at the Cambodian
National Pediatric Association
Conference in Phnom Penh
- Dr. Sietaboth was invited to act as one of the examiners for HIV/AIDS Diploma
program in Phnom Penh
AHC dental nurse, Lim Nareth teaches children how to use
a toothbrush (Left)
Health Center staff study in AHC's ER (Right)
We would like to share with you the wonderful news that the
Vermont Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics recently honored Robert
Nassau, MD, as Pediatrician of the Year at their annual meeting in early November.
A member of the Brattleboro Memorial Hospital Medical staff since 1971, Dr.
Nassau retired several years ago, if you call it that. Since the year 2000,
Dr. Nassau and his wife Nancy Storrow have been volunteering annually at AHC.
Although the award is usually given in recognition of a Vermont pediatrician’s
contribution to children’s health within the state, Dr. Bob nominated Dr.
Nassau for this more unusual honor. “Indeed, Dr. Nassau practiced in Brattleboro
for 38 years, and served on the State Board of Medical Practice, but his tireless
and outstanding work in and for these children and the pediatricians in Cambodia
are what earned him this award.”
A Letter from a Volunteer
“I
want to thank you and all the staff who were so kind and friendly to me during
my delightful and altogether too brief stay at Angkor Hospital for Children.
Angkor Hospital for Children is a wonderful example of caring for the medical
needs of children while recognizing the needs of the families as well. The
medical care is excellent and the academic environment is stimulating and
designed to bring the best medical judgment to the care of each child. Adding
to that the additional dimension of providing living accommodations for the
parents during the child's illness, food, a place to prepare it, and the necessary
instruction to make the parents better caregivers, truly improves the lives
of the children of Cambodia.
To do this for all Cambodian families without regard to their financial ability
speaks to your spirit of compassion and love for your people. I was honored
to be allowed to share in that for the short time I was in Cambodia.”
Henry C. Reitzug, MD
Sunrise Medical Campus, LLC
Puyallup, WA , USA
Photo: Dr. Reitzug with Dr. Pagnarith
In Memory
We remember Jim Richardson, a volunteer in the Capacity Building and Health
Education Program (CBHEP) and a passionate supporter of Cambodia. Jim enjoyed
working in the rural communities. He shared his extensive wealth of administrative
knowledge to educate and develop the skills of staff and thereby, the villagers.
Jim was a quiet person, with a warm personality and quick wit, well liked
by everyone.
Jim passed away on November 14, 2007 and is survived by his wife Viriyane
Richardson and his 2 daughters, Olary and Variny. We would like to ask all
of our supporters to join us in extending our warmest condolences to his loved
ones.
We also remember Mr. Gunther Hausen, a husband, father, grandfather and a
major supporter of AHC through his work with Middletown Rotary Club. Gunther
sadly passed away on November 25, 2007. He helped organize The Pure Water
and Literacy Program, sponsored by various Rotary Clubs worldwide, to bring
pure water to Cambodian people through the manufacture and installation of
biosand water filters. He believed strongly that all people had the right
to a healthy life and his work certainly reflected that. He is missed and
will always be remembered with great respect.
Thank You Amansara Hotel
The
Amansara hotel provided AHC with a very special treat this month by donating
an evening of traditional puppet dancing held in the front of the hospital.
Invited to watch the performance were AHC staff, patients and their families,
as well as guests of the Amansara Hotel.
Cambodian shadow theater has a long history, dating back over a thousand
years to early Angkorian times. It is one of the most revered and loved art
forms in the country, but, like many other cultural traditions, was nearly
destroyed in the 1970's during the tyrannical reign of the Khmer rouge. Efforts
are being made to recover the lost history of shadow theater and bring it
back to its former glory and popularity.
Thank you again to the Amansara Hotel and its General Manger, Mr. Toby Anderson.
http://www.amanresorts.com/home.aspx?id=608.
Water Festival
Late November marked one of Cambodia’s largest celebrations: Bon Om Tuk (Water
Festival). The three-day festival marks the changing of the flow of the Tonle
Sap River and is also seen as a thanksgiving to the Mekong River for providing
the country with fertile land and abundant fish.
During the rainy season the Tonle Sap reverses direction, flooding the lake,
increasing its size almost tenfold, making it the largest freshwater body
in Southeast Asia. The Tonle Sap is the only waterway in the world that flows
in opposite directions at different times of the year. It is at this time
when the river flow reverts to its normal down-stream direction. In a remarkable
phenomenon, the Tonle Sap River reverses its course as the rainy season progresses,
with the river flowing "upstream" to Tonle Sap Lake. Then as the
rainy season tapers off, the river changes direction once again as the swollen
Tonle Sap Lake begins to empty back into the Mekong River, leaving behind
vast quantities of fish. The Water festival, while celebrating the reversal
of the waters, also marks the beginning of the year's fishing season.
Fundraising Marathon
Last year Jon Norris, who had never even visited our hospital, ran the London
Marathon and raised funds that were donated to AHC. He was at it again in
November when he and a group of friends participated in a vertical marathon
held in Singapore. The race was to climb the 73 stories of the Swissotel as
fast as possible (1,336 steps). The winning time for the event was just over
7 minutes and John’s group ranged from just under 12 minutes to just over
17minutes.
On
of John’s next adventures will be to compete in the 2008 London Marathon again.
As before, he is raising funds to be donated to AHC. To sponsor John, and
support Angkor Hospital for Children, visit his website at https://www.firstgiving.com/ahcjonnorris.
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