Thanks to Canadian funding, Lao Friends Hospital for Children (LFHC) is building long-term specialist burn and wound care expertise in Laos

In a significant step forward for pediatric care in northern Laos, Lao Friends Hospital for Children has established its first-ever Specialist Burns and Wound Care Team, dedicated to treating one of its most common hospital presentations.

Thanks to the support from Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, a group of four staff members have been chosen to undergo 3-week of intensive Burns and Wound care training in the Burns Intensive Care Unit at Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University in Thailand.

The new team brings together senior staff from different departments, combining experience in emergency care, inpatient nursing and surgery.

A team with a multidisciplinary skill mix

Children with serious burns rarely need just one type of care. From the moment they arrive in the Emergency Department, through wound treatment, surgery, inpatient care and recovery, their journey passes through many hands.

That is why LFHC chose a team with a deliberately diverse mix of skills and backgrounds. Bringing together staff who understand each stage of that journey means children now receive care that is more coordinated and consistent from start to finish.

A serious burn can demand intensive pain management, infection prevention, surgery, repeated wound care, nutritional support, and long-term follow-up. The team's training covers all of this in depth. But the goal was never simply to send four staff members away to learn. It was to bring that knowledge home, so it could grow roots at LFHC.

Building specialist skills and bringing the knowledge home

When the team returns to Luang Prabang by the end of September 2026, their work is only just beginning.

They will help strengthen burn and wound care protocols at LFHC, improve coordination between departments, and train fellow doctors and nurses using the knowledge and practical skills they have gained. Over time, this will help create a more standardized approach to burn care across the hospital and build specialist knowledge that stays within LFHC for good.

As one of the country’s main teaching hospitals, this marks something bigger still. It is another area of specialist pediatric care that will now be led by Lao healthcare professionals, ready to be passed on and taught to the next generation of doctors and nurses.

Once again, we’re extremely grateful to the Office of the Embassy of Canada to Laos and the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives for funding this vital training. Four staff members have gained new expertise. But the bigger outcome is a hospital that is better prepared to treat children with burns and complex wounds, now and in the future.