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Cambodia’s recent history is one of civil war, invasion and genocide. Notorious leader Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge regime took power in 1975 and immediately evacuated cities, sending the entire population to rural work projects. Western medicine was completely discarded including the killing of nearly all health care workers in the country.
When peace was restored some 13 years later, the international community commenced the process of assisting in rebuilding the health system, a task still continuing today.
Originally commencing in 2007, Open Heart International partnered with Angkor Hospital for Children to assist local surgeons in becoming proficient at surgically correcting Patent Ductus Arteriosis (PDA), one of the more simple congenital heart defects found in children.
Re-establishing ties with the hospital in 2012, Open Heart International is providing a surgical response to the sizeable waitlist for complex cardiac surgery in Cambodia, whilst also trying to expand the local surgeons' capabilities.
The project will finish in October 2016 at the request of Angkor Hospital for Children who have made a decision that they cannot sustain nor further develop an independent cardiac surgery program. We are optimistic that we will be able to work with Angkor Hospital for Children again sometime in the future.
Commencing in 2005, Open Heart International's first orthopaedic project focusses primarily on hand surgery, and assisting in the training and development of Cambodian orthopaedic surgeons in multiple hospitals in Phnom Penh.
Team members provided formal lectures, skill sharing through bedside reviews, operating theatre and consulting room assistance.
In 2011, a pilot project was established in Primary Health. This was the first time that Open Heart International was involved in a non-surgical aspect of health care delivery in Cambodia.
A team of volunteer nurses worked in local communities to provide daily medical clinics in regional villages. The project has not moved past pilot phase.
Our medical missions in third world countries such as Cambodia provide specialist medical treatment for patients who are unable to access this specialist medical and surgical treatment due to the inadequate health system.
The primary objective of international medical humanitarian charities such as Open Heart International is to save lives and alleviate the suffering of the local people while maintaining their dignity.
In addition to this, our medical mercy missions to Cambodia offer training and support for the local surgeons while helping to alleviate strain on the local health system. This is achieved by reducing lengthy waiting lists for specialist surgeries such as cardiac surgery, orthopaedic surgery and primary health solutions.
Our surgical volunteers and non-surgical volunteers work tirelessly to provide support and training for local medical staff while empowering local health workers to deliver better health care in the region.
Our current project focus solely on children born with heart defects. Our international surgical volunteers provide medical assistance to babies, children, and young men and young women.
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