Samdech Prime Minister Appeals to Doctors to Adhere to Their Code of Ethics
“Phnom Penh: Samdech Prime Minister Hun Sen of the Royal Government of Cambodia admonished all Cambodian doctors to adhere to their code of ethics in order to avoid discrimination against patients with an affiliation to specific political parties, which can cause trouble to the people. Samdech Prime Minister Hun Sen said so at an inauguration ceremony for the Cambodian-Korean Friendship buildings at the National Pediatric Hospital in the morning of 22 January 2007.
“Samdech Prime Minister referred to a sad issue happening at a hospital in Batheay, Kompong Cham, that there was a woman who took her child to see the doctors. She was asked: ‘Aunt, for whom did you vote?’ The woman answered that she had voted for the Cambodian People’s Party [CPP]. All of a sudden, the doctors there refused treatment. At that time, Mr. Hor Namhong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minster of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, helped to take the child to get treatment at the National Pediatric Hospital; and so the child was saved. This was one of the stories. Another event happened at Samrong Tong district. When a patient was taken to be treated at a Phnom Penh hospital, it was said that the patient was suddenly taken to get the operation at another hospital because it was known that the patient had voted for the CPP.
“Samdech Hun Sen requested that all doctors should treat all patients without making any difference. If you were a doctor, you had to treat all patients. This is called the basis of ‘medical ethics.’ One has to remember that two or three people could affect the general reputation of all medical doctors. ‘If one fish is rotten in a basket, all the fish will be rotten.’ If one does not get rid of the rotten fish, it would create a rotten situation. When patients arrive, never should a doctor ask for whom the patient had voted.
“Samdech Hun Sen added that as the prime minister, if there is trouble and negative actions in society, he has to stop it and bring the perpetrators to justice, even if they are CPP members. Samdech appealed therefore again to adhere to medical ethics, and to apply political and racial non-discrimination.
“Meanwhile, Samdech Prime Minister Hun Sen also appealed to those who are engaging in activities spreading AIDS to discontinue these activities, because they endanger not only themselves but also their wives, children, and families. Many orphaned children were left with AIDS. He confirmed that he had appealed repeatedly to those people involved to stop it. If this epidemic would not be prevented, it would develop very dangerously.
“Samdech also appealed to some Democracy and Human Rights NGOs that were present at the ceremony: they should not forget to educate people about the dangers of AIDS. They did spend too much time criticizing the government, they should rather focus on humanitarian issues. If strong people dedicated to human rights could help solve this problem, it would really help to prevent and to reduce the spread of AIDS.
“The Korean aid for the National Pediatric Hospital buildings was approximately US$2.5 million. The three-storied building was established on an area of nearly 5,000 sqm, and it is possible to build it up to six more stories in future.
“The new building was furnished with 150 beds. But due to the lack of trained human resources, especially specialized doctors for all units and enough nurses, the units would be gradually started to be operated according to the growing capacities and possibilities in Cambodia.
“Mr. Chhuor Y Meng, the director of the National Pediatric Hospital, said that the first step was to operate the outpatient clinical treatment, the laboratory, the radiology and ultrasound facilities, the intensive care unit, and to provide hospitalization for about only 50 to 60 patients, in addition to the 115 beds which were already operational now. In addition, operations would expand continuously whenever the Ministry of Health provides adequate additional human resources as the hospital will request.
“The Minister of Health, Mr. Nuth Sokhom, said that from March 2007 onwards the National Pediatric Hospital is Cambodia’s first hospital to improve the medical quality of nourishment.
“The Minister highly evaluated that the hospital was equipped with modern facilities to serve the needs of the people, because it can confidently deliver health service to Cambodian children. It also can help poor people who might need, but could not afford to get treatment abroad; and so they would receive appropriate local treatment for specialized diseases.
“Mr. Shin Hyun-Suk, the Korean ambassador to Cambodia, said that the establishment of this modern hospital for children is a valuable project, because children’s health provides hope for the future of every nation. He said ‘I expect that the new hospital will contribute to Cambodian Government’s effort to achieve Cambodia’s millennium development goals. It can reduce the mortality rate of children and serve as a center that treats children, as well as it trains doctors who come from referral hospitals all over the country.’
“Samdech Prime Minister Hun Sen thanked the Korean government for providing a series of aid to Cambodia. Recalling the decision of the Cambodian government to build up the relationship with the Republic of Korea during the past 10 years, he continued, ‘We thought that it was the right decision for our diplomatic politics. If we had made a wrong decision, we would not have today’s achievements. There was no Korean aid, no Korean investors, and no Korean tourists. There was also no hospital and aid from Korea at that time.” Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.15, #4192, 23.01.2007
Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Tuesday, 23 January 2007
Chakraval, Vol.15, #2642, 23.1.2007
- Japan Provides ¥1,249 Million [approx. US$10 million] Grant Aid to Cambodia
- Samdech Chea Sim Talks with Subdistrict Council Members in Phnom Penh
Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.6, #1250, 23.1.2007
- Wife of Major General Khieng Savorn [member of SRP Steering Committee] Says Her Husband May Die in Prison from Chronic Sickness
- Samdech Hun Sen Inaugurates Friendship Building Donated by South Korea in National Pediatric Hospital
- [Venezuelan President] Chavez Calls Ms. Rice [US Secretary of State] “My Little Girl”
Moneaksekar Khmer, Vol.14, #3069, 23.1.2007
- Mr. Yim Sovann [SRP parliamentarian, from Phnom Penh]: Chea Vichea [head of Cambodian Free Trade Union of Workers, assassinated 22.1.2004] Left Heroism of Struggle for Workers
Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.15, #4192, 23.1.2007
- Samdech Hun Sen Calls for Doctors to Respect Code of Conduct
- Bank of China Provides $207 Million Loan [to Cambodia] for Road and Bridge Construction
Reach Seima, Vol.2, #136, 23.1.2007
- Samdech Hun Sen Warns for Second Time against Anyone Who Wants to Give Power to Preah Mohavirak Khsatr [the Great Heroic King Norodom Sihanouk]
- Germany Provides $1 Million for Demining [in Siem Reap and Oddar Meanchey]
- South Korean Minister of Labor Will Visit Cambodia on 25 January
