December 5, 2005 - Voices
Children die for many reasons. That’s a reality. They do so in the United States…they die in other countries as well. But, in Cambodia, they so often die of preventable causes, some of which we have a much better control in the United States and other “modern” societies. There is so often criticism in the United States of the cost of health care. Too often, I hear of people stating that they wished they lived elsewhere because they would not have to spend so much for their treatment. But, at home, it may be expensive, but it exists. In the United States, children die much less often.
A reason why children continue to die is because they have little to no voice. This happens everywhere, including the United States. I see it often at my job. We spend much of our time pleading to insurance companies for them to cover necessary treatment and medications for our patients. But, for the most part, our patients don’t die. On the global level, children are functional mute and die too often.
We spent one evening in Siem Reap listening to a man who has devoted his life to giving Cambodian children a voice. Dr. Beat Richner (www.beatocello.com) is a pediatrician from Switzerland who has been living in Cambodia for the past 2 decades. He is responsible for the construction of 3 children’s hospitals where patients receive care without charge. And, the care provided is modern, using modern equipment. Dr. Richner is the champion of the concept that the people of a poor country do not deserve poor care.
It is difficult to change people’s hearts and minds if you don’t have their ears. And, that is why Dr. Richner uses two voices to communicate his message. Weekly, Dr. Richner performs cello pieces at the Children’s Hospital in Siem Reap. He takes the time between pieces to discuss recent developments in the hospitals, urgent issues in the local healthcare, and, of course, ask for donations of funds as well as blood. Dr. Richner also travels extensively, internationally, performing and speaking. With 10% of the operating costs of the hospitals paid for by the Swiss government and 10% supplied by the Cambodia government, the rest of the funding is dependent on donations. Hundreds or thousands of Cambodian children are fortunate to have the voices of Dr. Richner as well as his cello speaking for them.
A reason why children continue to die is because they have little to no voice. This happens everywhere, including the United States. I see it often at my job. We spend much of our time pleading to insurance companies for them to cover necessary treatment and medications for our patients. But, for the most part, our patients don’t die. On the global level, children are functional mute and die too often.
We spent one evening in Siem Reap listening to a man who has devoted his life to giving Cambodian children a voice. Dr. Beat Richner (www.beatocello.com) is a pediatrician from Switzerland who has been living in Cambodia for the past 2 decades. He is responsible for the construction of 3 children’s hospitals where patients receive care without charge. And, the care provided is modern, using modern equipment. Dr. Richner is the champion of the concept that the people of a poor country do not deserve poor care.
It is difficult to change people’s hearts and minds if you don’t have their ears. And, that is why Dr. Richner uses two voices to communicate his message. Weekly, Dr. Richner performs cello pieces at the Children’s Hospital in Siem Reap. He takes the time between pieces to discuss recent developments in the hospitals, urgent issues in the local healthcare, and, of course, ask for donations of funds as well as blood. Dr. Richner also travels extensively, internationally, performing and speaking. With 10% of the operating costs of the hospitals paid for by the Swiss government and 10% supplied by the Cambodia government, the rest of the funding is dependent on donations. Hundreds or thousands of Cambodian children are fortunate to have the voices of Dr. Richner as well as his cello speaking for them.
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