Welcome, dear Pierre

Pierre will be joining our team in Cambodia in November 2025. The medical student will be working at our children's hospital in Siem Reap for two months. Here he introduces himself.

Pierre Roux, 25, Grimisuat VS

After high school and during my community service, I decided to study medicine. I wanted to help other people and at the same time complete a scientific degree. Since high school had given me the experience of knowledge and community service had given me the experience of service, medicine seemed to me to be the best way to combine knowledge and service to people. My motivation was to learn how to treat sick people and how scientific knowledge can be used meaningfully in the service of humanity as part of a solid and reliable education. During clinical internships, you also learn to deal with concrete life situations in which you sometimes feel powerless and to cope with the difficulties of a complex healthcare system, which often cause frustration. You have to learn to deal with this in order to maintain your motivation to learn and train to become a good doctor.

My placement at your children's hospital in Siem Reap appeals to me for several reasons. Firstly, it offers me the opportunity to be part of a project that has inspired me since I began studying medicine and even influenced my decision to become a doctor. I heard about Dr. Beat Richner from my father during my community service. When I saw the advertisement for the internship at Jayavarman VII Hospital, I knew immediately that I wanted to go there—as a logical continuation of what originally motivated me to study medicine. I see this as a valuable opportunity to gain insights into humanitarian medicine and develop both clinical skills and human qualities that are important for caring for the sick and injured in an environment with obvious and urgent needs. I would also like to learn more about tropical diseases. I am particularly attracted by the prospect of working in a hospital that is committed to serving people rather than profit, and of learning from experienced and dedicated professionals.

Medically, I expect to learn more about pediatric diseases in a tropical environment and to deepen my knowledge together with a motivated and committed medical team and courageous families. I also want to understand how a hospital with limited human and material resources can provide high-quality care to a large number of patients. This will help me to question the use of additional tests more critically and encourage my creativity in medicine. I am also looking forward to getting to know a new culture, being inspired by the generosity of the staff and the courage of the families, and learning a few words of Khmer.

I am most looking forward to learning from experienced people who are willing to pass on their knowledge and skills to the younger generation, and to consolidating good clinical habits in an environment that focuses on cooperation and mutual support.

I am a little concerned about organ trafficking in Cambodia, which is often talked about in my circle. I am also a little afraid of being overwhelmed by the circumstances and not knowing how to interact appropriately with patients and staff. I also know that there may be moments when difficult situations test my resilience – and, of course, there is the language barrier.

Nevertheless, after reading the reports of my predecessors, I am confident and simply looking forward to everything that awaits me there.