Welcome, dear Bjarne, Luis and Daniel

Starting in January 2026, the three medical students will be joining our team in Cambodia. They will be working for two months at our children's hospital and maternity ward in Siem Reap. Here they introduce themselves.

Bjarne von Götz, 23, Zurich

I decided to study medicine because of my interest in science and because I enjoy working with people. A nursing internship then cemented my interest.

During my junior year, I would like to see other healthcare systems and circumstances. I am also interested in traveling and living in Southeast Asia.

During these two months, I would like to gain more self-confidence. I would also like to be able to assist with births in emergencies.

I am very much looking forward to experiencing a new culture and having the opportunity to help. However, I am concerned about communicating with patients, as I do not speak the local language and my French is not very good.

Luis Biehlmaier, 25, Zurich

I have been interested in people since an early age. My initial impulse to study medicine came from sports: due to knee problems, I frequently visited an orthopedist, which sparked my interest and fascination with this profession. I was very interested in the idea of helping people regain their quality of life, supporting them in difficult times, and being able to help them.

Starting with orthopedics, my interest grew broader and broader. At first, I was fascinated by the musculoskeletal system, then by the role of nutrition, and increasingly by human psychology. Ultimately, I wanted to understand how humans function as a whole, and that's exactly what I was able to learn by studying medicine.

What I find particularly appealing about medicine, and what has been confirmed during my studies, is that you come into contact with very different people and their individual life stories on a daily basis. These encounters open up new perspectives on life and show how differently people deal with strokes of fate. I think that these experiences can be used not only in patient care, but also in your own life.

In recent years, I have had the opportunity to travel to different countries, which has permanently changed my view of many aspects of life. I have always been particularly interested in the local cultures and people. On my trips to Sri Lanka and Indonesia, I was impressed by how cheerful, open, and friendly the people were, even though they often had little in material terms.

When I heard about the opportunity to work in Siem Reap, I wanted to seize it right away. I am very excited about the prospect of immersing myself in a new culture for an extended period of time, working there, and experiencing everyday life. At the same time, it is important to me to give something back to the local population through my work as a prospective doctor.

Through my time in recruit school, my work as a security guard, and as a first aid instructor at various companies, I have always greatly appreciated being able to immerse myself in different worlds, even outside the so-called “university bubble.” Until now, however, these experiences have been limited to Switzerland. So I am all the more excited to now get to know the values, ways of life, and perspectives in Cambodia.

I expect to learn a great deal during this time, both professionally and personally. I am aware that I will experience both very beautiful and tragic moments that will occupy my thoughts and shape me. It will certainly be an intense and sometimes exhausting time, but it will also be associated with many valuable experiences.

I also hope to gain a deep insight into a different healthcare system. This perspective can help me to incorporate positive aspects and solutions into my future medical practice. It is particularly important to me to interact with the local people and to be able to make a real difference both inside and outside the hospital.

I am most looking forward to meeting the local people, immersing myself in everyday life there for an extended period of time, and gaining insight into a different healthcare system. One thing that is currently causing me concern is the tense situation caused by the conflict at the border. And, of course, the possibility that situations may arise in which my medical skills and knowledge are stretched to the limit and I am unable to help people any further.

Nevertheless, my anticipation for the assignment and the experiences that await me there outweighs any concerns.

Daniel Brück, 26 aus Zurich

After high school, I became fascinated with emergency medicine. I was not yet 23 years old, and therefore too young to begin training as a paramedic. During my internship, I was advised to study medicine and later support the emergency services as an emergency doctor. Since I had the privilege of being supported by my parents and studying at university without getting into serious debt, the idea was extremely appealing. I wasn't sure if I was up to the challenge, but it was worth a try. Now, five years later, I am nearing the end of my studies and still don't know all the specialist areas and fields in which I could work. Emergency medicine (alongside pediatrics) is now “just” one of many possible directions I want to pursue and gain experience in.

On my last trip to Southeast Asia, I fell in love with the cultural and historical diversity of the region – just as my grandfather did on his first trip to Nepal. I was determined to return and also toyed with the idea of getting to know a different healthcare system here. When I heard about the opportunity to gain insight into the hospitals of the Beat Richner Foundation in Cambodia during my elective year, I was hooked on the idea and applied immediately.

I would like to understand what is important to the people of Cambodia and whether and how people work and interact with each other differently here than they do in our country.

I have already heard from several students that they will never forget their time in Siem Reap and will always carry it in their hearts. I am open-minded and excited to see what awaits me. I am concerned about the current situation in the border region between Thailand and Cambodia and the impact the armed conflict is having on the humanitarian situation of the population. But as Beat Richner once said: “This hospital is an island of peace.”