- Majesty
- Samdechs
- Excellencies
- Ladies and
gentlemen
-
- Today it is a happy
day. This inauguration of Kantha Bopha IV is a
milestone in the work by the Kantha Bopha Hospitals
during the last 14 years time, it is a milestone in
Cambodia's public health System for children
too.
-
- First: Without this
new Hospital Kantha Bopha IV all the Hospitals Kantha
Bopha I and II in Phnom Penh could no more function
any longer. Two of the old buildings of Kantha Bopha I
have to be evacuated immediately. And Kantha Bopha I
as a Hospital is too small.
-
- What does this
mean? Kantha Bopha is hospitalizing 75 000 severely
sick children per year , 40 000 in Phnom Penh, 35 000
in Siem Reap. And 80% of the hospitalized children
have no chance to survive without the treatment they
get in the Kantha Bopha Hospitals. Without this
treatment they all get free of charge. The last 14
years we could reduce the mortality to 1,1%. The
Kantha Bopha Hospitals are treating 85% of all
Cambodian Children.
- So now Kantha Bopha
in Phnom Penh can continue to work and can continue to
save these thousands of children.
-
- Secondly it is a
milestone in the health policy for the Cambodian
children. The World Health Policy for the Poor World
has failed. Look at this child. It was blind, we find
a Tumor , we find this tumor of tuberculosis, this
Tuberculoma. Tuberculosis is one of the war
consequences Cambodia is still suffering from. This
Tuberculoma causing blindness is a post war bullet in
the brain. We were able to save this child, we were
able to do a correct diagnosis and then a correct
treatment. There are thousands and thousands of cases
of Tuberculosis. All these thousands and thousands
cases are needing correct facilities in order to be
saved.
-
- You need to apply
the same standard of the diagnostic means to the child
as would be used in Europe or in USA. Otherwise you
miss the diagnosis. But this is against the dogma of
the World Health Policy that claim the standard of
technological equipment must correspond to the
economic reality of the country. But the economic
reality for 85% of Cambodians is very low.
-
- The other dogma
dominating the present World Health Policy for the
poor world is the prevention. First of all it has to
be a cheap prevention. But there is no vaccination
against Tuberculosis. The BCG vaccination is useless.
The BCG vaccination is dangerous. The most severe
cases of Tuberculosis we find in children having got
the vaccination. There is no prevention against TB.
The focus must be on neutralization, that is, every
infected person or every sick person must be treated,
in order to stop the Endemia of
Tuberculosis.
-
- So you must treat
the Tuberculosis as early as possible. Not to wait
until the child is blind or has died. And the first
sign of Tuberculosis, already reducing the immunity of
the child, the Primary Complex, is only visible by the
CT of the lungs.
-
- That is why we
installed in Kantha Bopha IV our third CT, the same
model as installed in Singapore in the Elizabeth
Hospital (Phillips).
-
- 40 % of our
surgical operations ( in Phnom Penh 30 per day, in
Siem Reap 20 per day), are cases of Tuberculosis. So
the surgery too has an impact on the public health for
children. That is why we installed in Kantha Bopha IV
four modern theatres.
-
- In February 2004 we
could bye this land for 2.5 Millions USD. I asked a
Million Swiss compatriots to contribute 20 Swiss
Francs. (Aktion Zwaenzgernoetli). By this unique
action we could get all this money (15 Millions). So
the annual Budget of 16 Millions USD for the running
costs was not in danger. On this occasion let me thank
to all these Swiss compatriots, to all these thousands
of private donators. On this occasion let me thank to
the members of our Foundation, its President Dr.
Loehrer, its Vice President Dr. Studer, Prof. Fanconi,
one of the Pediatrics most famous name, and as
representative of the Swiss people the Swiss
Ambassador H.E. Erismann and the actual Olympia Gold
Medal winner Marcel Fischer, he is soon a medical
Doctor too.
- 200 000.00USD we
got by His Majesty King Father Sihanouk and Her
Majesty Queen Monineath in honor of H.R.H. Prince
Narimrapong.
- By the Director of
the Swiss Cooperation for development H.E. Walter
Fust, we heard the words: For this Hospital we do not
pay a single stone. That is why you can see these
wholes in the wall in the front of the
building.
-
- The Swiss
government ( similar to other governments of the so
called civilized world) is still believing in the
failed and failing World Health Policy for the poor
children in the poor world based on the dogma
mentioned above. This policy is causing sufferance and
sufferance and millions of fatalities. Still today
this policy is practiced. But in the small Swiss town
Geneva, where the luxury head quarter of WHO is
installed, alone in the private sector there are 22
CTs! And here they tell you a CT is not appropriate,
does not correspond to the economical reality of the
country.
- But times have
changed! And when they do not immediately change their
World Health Policy for the poor children in poor
countries, there will never be a better future for
these children, in African countries too. There is a
HIV and Hepatitis crisis, not only in Cambodia. For
surgery you need the correct high tech machines for
sterilization of the materials. That's why we
installed 4 High Tech Autoclaves. For the blood
transfusions, so much needed for the thousands of
Dengue cases in shock, for hundreds of Malaria cases
in shock, for our 50 surgical operations per day , for
bleeding mothers after and before our 40 deliveries
per day…for these blood transfusions you need a
laboratory of the same standard you use in Europe or
in USA. Otherwise you get to be criminal and
contaminate thousands. That is why we installed under
the direction of Dr. Denis Laurent a modern
sophisticated Laboratory.
-
- Today, 16 months
after the corner stone ceremony presided over by
Samdech Hun Sen, we can present a complete and
correctly equipped Hospital with 555 beds. It is the
result of a wonderful teamwork. We tried to transfer
the successful conception of Kantha Bopha III
(Jayavarman VII) in Angkor to a building with three
floors, together with Laurent Gross, Dr. Denis Laurent
(Laboratories and Blood banc), Prof. Veasna (surgery).
Ueli Salzmann and Rolf Grossenbacher made the design.
Jean Marc Lopez was doing the construction. Thanks to
this efficient cooperation we had to spend for all the
new and big Hospital only 15 Millions USD, including
the facilities.
-
- By the initiative
of Samdech Hun Sen we got a land by Mr Mobitel. That
why we can connect in a further move Kantha Bopha I
and Kantha Bopha IV. One building of Kantha Bopha I
will continue to function, (station C 1 and C 2), two
buildings must be restored. In order to reach the same
quality in the New Born Care we now have got in
Angkor, I hope we can later build a maternity. Since
the fate of the newborn is determined by a correctly
controlled pregnancy and delivery. And the delivery
must be free of charge, otherwise 85% of Cambodian
mothers have no access to. Then we could install the
same successful and effective program to prevent the
Newborn from the transmission of the HIV by the mother
we installed in Angkor four years ago.
- With this new
building we have more space for vaccinations too: In
the old prevention station and in the old outpatient
station the vaccination JEV will be started in
February .
- Majesty, Samdechs,
Excellencies and friends, thanks for joining this
ceremony. Today it is a happy day.
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