Over 100 million children in the world suffer from diseases you and I almost never encounter. In Cambodia, it’s even more extreme.
Cambodia has one of the least developed medical systems in the world. It’s also one of the poorest countries. It relies heavily on foreign aid.
Furthermore, Cambodia still suffers from the loss of well-educated doctors, kidnapped and murdered during the Khmer Rouge genocide. That devastating slaughter of over a million people virtually stunted Cambodia’s growth.
Cambodia is trying to educate and train new doctors, but it’s been a painfully slow process. In addition, hospitals and medical clinics lack adequate medication and equipment. In fact, most of these places are run-down and filthy.
Many facilities that are already established have wards of patients who are just left to die because they lack medication and treatment.
The situation isn’t getting any better. Tuberculosis, malaria, and poor food quality cause major illnesses in young adults and children. And since prostitution is on the rise, so are HIV and AIDS cases.
Then there are the land mines. During the Khmer Rouge reign, millions of them were buried. Yet, thousands have never been found. To this day, children and adults are losing limbs or their lives to these land mines.
Our Response to This Crisis
That’s why we at Hand of Hope decided to build a new hospital in Pursat, Cambodia, about 100 miles north of Phnom Penh.
We saw the overwhelming need for medical care during our 2007 Hope Cambodia Crusade, and went to work on it right away. But we encountered obstacle after obstacle—from government resistance to slow construction.
Early this month, however, we opened the hospital—a hospital built by generous contributions from friends and partners like you.
The hospital has 100 beds, and the staff doctors and nurses—all volunteers—see about 50 patients each day, offering general medical services many take for granted: lab tests, OB/GYN services, minor surgical procedures, cardiology and pulmonary work. There’s even a pharmacy in the building.
Please pray for the doctors and nurses who give up their time to care for the sick and dying. Please pray for the sick and dying, that they come to know the love of Jesus Christ. God has demonstrated that He is faithful and just to those who are obedient to Him. Will you pray with us? We need all the support we can get.