Providing access to care in Cambodia

Private and corporate donations raised through a range of activities, have made it possible to inaugurate two new diabetes clinics in Kratie and Siem Reap, Cambodia. Two clinics in Kampong Tom and Battambang, established last year and also funded by donations and build by volunteers, are running smoothly.

Ly Seng and his mother seeks help at the diabetes clinic and hospital ward in Kratie

More than 326,000 people suffer from diabetes in Cambodia. One of them is Ly Seng. The Communications Manager, Mr. Jamal Butt and Dr. Anil Kapur, Managing Director from the World Diabetes Foundation met him at the hospital ward in Kratie, the location of one of the newly established diabetes clinics.

Ly Seng is a 14 year old boy with no history of diabetes in his family. The 5th grade student had felt gradually more and more unwell. At the time his mother brought him to the hospital, the health personnel could note several complaints pointing towards diabetes; he had lost 3-4 kilos, was exhausted and had a burning sensation in his feet.

The boy turned out to suffer from type 2 diabetes, and is now on tablet treatment and diet control.

The story does not end here, not for Ly Seng or other people like him who are lucky to get diagnosed in due time. They will need lifelong support from the health care system to learn how to manage their condition, and maintain an optimal treatment as their diabetes evolves; on their own being able to afford the tests and medical treatment is an enormous burden for majority of the people living with diabetes in Cambodia.

Ly Seng’s friends at school feel compassion with him and even cried when they learned about his diabetes. His parents worry a lot for his future. Their present concern is how can they find the extra five US dollars his treatment will cost them each month. Ly Seng himself has lost his hope for the future, he doubts that he will be able to lead a productive life.

“Every day in Cambodia, many children and adults die because they cannot receive the basic care and treatment they need to survive; many more die before a diagnosis can be made. When I meet Ly Seng and his mother I explained them about our presence and the funding of diabetes clinics which will help build capacity and provide access to care. When leaving the clinic, I could sense a growing hope in their eyes. Knowing that help has moved one step closer and it seems, there is light at the end of the long tunnel”, explains Mr. Jamal Butt.

Providing access to care in four cities

All four clinics are set up at the regional hospitals in each city. Funds for the newest clinics have been raised partly by a charity opera concert in London in October 2007; the proceeds emanating from ticket sales and corporate sponsorships from Novo Nordisk UK amounted to UKP 24,000. Along with donations from fundraisers within Novo Nordisk Global Finance Team and a container donated by Maersk Shipping A/S. The Cambodian Diabetes Association has been able to establish these clinics to help increase awareness of diabetes, its complications and strengthen access to treatment in four cities.

The clinics established in 2007 are already providing the basic essential treatment.

In Battambang the clinic has had 3,608 consultations in 2007 and around 2,400 people have been treated so far. At Kampong Thom more than 1,000 consultations and about 700 people have received care during the same period.

At the inauguration the Danish Ambassador to Cambodia, His Excellency Mr. Michael Sternberg expressed his enthusiasm; ”The Danish Government has from the beginning been supporting the work of the World Diabetes Foundation. Diabetes is a severe and widespread disease which is given much too little attention compared to other de-habilitating diseases. The Foundation and Novo Nordisk has done an excellent job in trying to rectify this situation through fundraising activities and by establishing many projects in the developing world. The collaboration between the World Diabetes Foundation, the Cambodian Ministry of Health and the Cambodian Diabetes Association with the aim of focusing attention on diabetes in Cambodia has been exemplary. I wish this good work will widen and deeper in the years to come”, he said.

Clinics are part of the solution, employee concludes

Novo Nordisk A/S employee Mr. Per J. Wilhelmson, Senior Licensing Director won a visit to the sites in a fund raising lottery at the Novo Nordisk Global Finance Board meeting in support of the clinics. He has travelled to the South East Asia and China extensively 15 years ago, and visiting Cambodia in 2008 was like travelling back in time; “Today people in Cambodia live, like they used to do in some of the neighbouring countries decades ago”.

Staff from the newly established clinic in Kratie and hospital ward

Mr. Wilhelmson was impressed when he visited the clinics and the staff and learnt how much has been done for limited resources. He had the chance to talk to doctors and people working with diabetes during his short trip, which gave him the clear impression, that it is not the financial incentive that drives people who work with diabetes in Cambodia, where you can earn more as a tourist guide than a doctor.

He noted that a large part of care is offered by Non-government organisations: “If the World Diabetes Foundation hadn’t been here, there would be no diabetes clinics”, he says upon his return from Kratie and Siem Reap. The message he brings back is however two sided. Clearly, the Foundation is doing an honourable job, and it seems to be highly appreciated by the people working in the hospitals and the local diabetes association. But clinics are one piece of the puzzle, infrastructure in the broadest meaning is definitely another.

An improved infrastructure would make access to treatment and preventive diabetes education easier in the areas outside Pnomh Penh. “To ensure access to proper diabetes treatment is an uphill battle, clinics will not do it alone, but they play an important part, and it is important that the Foundation contributes like it has done so far”, Mr. Per J. Wilhelmson concludes.

Eight clinics established

To the list of diabetes clinics can be added another four clinics that have been established as part of a WDF supported project, which means that presently eight diabetes clinics offer specialised services to people living in areas in Cambodia where no diabetes treatment was available before 2005.

The clinics in Siem Reap and Kraite were inaugurated by the Danish Ambassador to Cambodia, His Excellency, Mr. Michael Sternberg in the presence of the Vice Governor of Siem Reap Province, the Regional Health Director of Siem Reap, WHO officer in charge of the NCD program Dr. Yel Daravuth and the president of the Cambodian Diabetes Association Prof Lim Kueky, Mr.Chin Limpuangthip, General Manager of Novo Nordisk Indo China, and Dr.Anil Kapur also participated together with Mr. Per Wilhemson.

Read more about the fundraising project in Cambodia

This page was last updated 4-23-2008 by jrb.wdf