The Khmer Soviet Friendship Hospital, or the Russian Hospital as it is commonly known, is a public hospital managed by the Ministry of Health in Cambodia.
It was built back in the very late 50’s, completed by 1960, and handed over to the Cambodians with great ceremony.
It was the biggest government hospital by surface area and number of beds, with the greatest number of specialties in both medicine and surgery. The Director is a very likeable and very efficient administrator, an ophthalmologist by the name of Dr Ngy Meng.
The government hospital in Cambodia charges patients according to their ability to pay. Most wealthy Cambodians would not go to a government hospital because they don’t want to mix their health with the poor masses, but have recently used the Russian Hospital because it has really lifted its game under the leadership of Dr Meng and I think the care offered there is as good as pretty much anywhere in Cambodia. Hence my support of this hospital. In short, it does the most work of any hospital, and with little help does it pretty well.
This container was in the port of Sihanoukville until a few days before I arrived in Cambodia on 27th July. It had been taken up to the hospital, and the unpacking had been done. By the time I went to the hospital on 29th July, most of the goods had been distributed.
It remains for me to contact the Safe Haven Charity for them to pick up their wheelchairs and hygiene kits from the hospital.
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The first photo I show has the container just newly opened in the grounds of the Khmer Soviet Friendship Hospital, commonly known as the Russian Hospital, in Phnom Penh. There is an examination table which has already been removed from the container. The second photo shows the still virtually full container with a second examination table about to be removed.
The next 2 photos show an ultrasound machine just about to be taken out of the container and one of the operating tables already unloaded.
The 2 remaining photos show equipment being packed under cover at the hospital, plus some boxes in another photo which are partly wheelchairs and partly hygiene packs for girls, which are destined for the Safe Haven Charity in Siem Reap.