[Picture from the Khmer Times]I was a little disconcerted to see this photograph in the newspaper of a bed at the Kantha Bopha Children’s Hospital in Phnom Penh. Dr. Beat Richner, a Swiss doctor, set up the first Kantha Bopha hospital in 1992 to give free medical care to children. There are now four or five Kantha Bopha Children’s Hospitals in the country and they are the first choice for all parents with sick children. I have encouraged many families to take their sick children there. The hospital rules are strict; they won’t allow foreigners into the hospital, and I don’t know why but I figured if they were doing a good job, they can make up rules like that. But then I saw this photo with three children in one bed and it gave me pause. Kantha Bopha may be the best hospitals in the country for children but we’ve still got a long way to go!
