WHAT WE DO
Starting in 1992, Swiss pediatrician Dr. Beat Richner established medical facilities with approximately 2,400 beds at two locations in Cambodia. In Phnom Penh, we now operate a children’s hospital with three building complexes at the main site, near Wat Phnom Temple, as well as an additional building located on the grounds of the Royal Palace. In Siem Reap, we also have a perinatal center for pregnant women and newborns on the children’s hospital campus.
Switzerland
Cambodia
Phnom Penh
Siem Reap
Vietnam
Laos
Thailand
Gulf of Thailand
All treatments and medical procedures are free of charge for the children, as the majority of the local population has very limited financial resources—they simply could not afford the treatment costs. A large proportion of all seriously ill and injured children in the country are treated and cared for here. Our centers are the only hospitals in the country capable of effectively treating children with severe injuries or complex conditions such as heart defects and cancer. Without our hospitals, many of the hospitalized girls and boys would have virtually no chance of survival.
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Kantha Bopha is an unparalleled success story. Since its inception in 1992, approximately 22 million children have received outpatient treatment. 3.1 million young patients were so seriously ill or injured that they had to be hospitalized.
The hospitals ​
Phnom Penh
Kantha Bopha I
Opened in 1992, refurbished in 2015 to include a museum, inauguration of the replacement building with cardiac surgery centre and two intensive care units for newborns (NICU) and older children (PICU) in 2019, Cancer ward opened in 2023
Kantha Bopha II
Opened in 1996, on the grounds of the Royal Palace, continuously developed
Kantha Bopha IV
Opened in 2005, the expansion is located on the same property as Kantha Bopha I
Kantha Bopha V
Opened in 2007, the expansion is located on the same property as Kantha Bopha I
Siem Reap
Jayavarman VII
Opened in 1999, Maternité inaugurated
in 2001, new extension in 2008, cardiac centre with interventional cardiac catheter examinations opened in 2011, extension
of the maternity ward in 2024, cancer ward opened in 2025
Maternity Ward Expansion
Opened in 2024
Did you know that …
… the costs of running the our hospitals in Cambodia amount to at least CHF 40 million per year. The funds come from various sources, from private individuals and institutions, from the Cambodian government and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). But above all, it is small and large donors from Switzerland who have supported the work financially for over 30 years. It is also encouraging to see the development of donations from Cambodian private individuals – they are steadily increasing. Over the past three years, we have only spent 3.41 per cent of our income on administration and marketing. This means that 96.59 of every 100 francs donated goes directly to the children's hospitals.
… the Kantha Bopha hospitals have the best cost/healing rate worldwide and are considered a model for medicine in poor countries. Because the reliable basic medical care creates security – the mothers know that their sick children will be treated free of charge in the Kantha Bopha hospitals. This eliminates the pressure to give birth to many offspring so that at least every second child survives. This socio-social type of family planning has an effect: There are hardly any mothers at the maternity clinic who have more than three children nowadays.
… the little patients are never alone. A family member – usually the mother – accompanies the child, gives information about its condition, calms it, dries tears, supports it. In addition, the relatives take care of the food: There is no organised catering like in our country, but there are numerous market stalls and food vendors in the immediate vicinity of the hospitals.
… all 2,700 employees of Kantha Bopha hospitals are locals and receive a fair wage on which they can live. This is the key to preventing corruption – there is zero tolerance in this field. No bribes are accepted or even demanded from patients' relatives, medication dispensing is controlled and no employee is allowed to take a second job anywhere. These principles are regularly reviewed by the auditors. Medical care is the same for all children: free of charge and correct. Therefore, our hospitals serve as role models in one of the poorest countries in Asia. Or as founder Dr. Beat Richner always emphasised: «Kantha Bopha is free of corruption, an island of justice and social peace in Cambodia.»
… the infant mortality in Cambodia has substantially declined. In 1992, it was over 8 percent, in 2009 it dropped to 4.8 percent – and in 2025 it will be 2.2 percent. Most children in the Kantha Bopha hospitals die due to a congenital heart malformation; overall, the mortality rate here is 0.3 percent of hospitalized babies, girls and boys. Our good medical care has contributed significantly to the steady reduction in infant mortality. And also the fact that today many births take place in the maternity clinic of Kantha Bopha – under hygienically and medically optimal conditions.
… around 3,000 sick girls and boys arrive at our hospitals every day. About every fifth child has to be admitted as an inpatient.
… Kantha Bopha has been a department of the Ministry of Health since 1994 – and today also a training centre for medical, nursing and therapeutic professions. The facilities are fully integrated into the country's health system, serve as university hospitals, and the director and doctors of our hospitals serve as full professors at the medical faculty in Phnom Penh. In close cooperation with the Children's Hospital Zurich, training and further education continually take place; it is an active and very valuable exchange.
