Improving Pediatric Health in Cambodia
A Partnership between the Abbott Fund and Direct Relief
International
War and civil unrest have left Cambodia with some of the worst health
statistics in the region, with women and young children at particular risk. In
an effort to improve the overall health of women and children in Asia, the
Abbott Fund has formed a partnership with Direct Relief International (DRI) to
support nutrition education and programs for physicians and nurses at Angkor
Hospital for Children, a pediatric teaching hospital in Siem Reap,
Cambodia.
Strengthening Children's Health Care
Because health care workers in Cambodia are not trained in pediatric health
issues, families often lack proper healthcare knowledge. The partnership
between Abbott and DRI supports the on-going efforts of Angkor Hospital to
educate health care workers on counseling families about the nutritional needs
of their children and, ultimately, improving their children's health.
Abbott and Abbott Fund provided two grants totaling $139,500, along with
almost $1 million worth of nutritional and
pharmaceutical products. The grants have gone towards training, staff, funding
of local and regional educational workshops, materials for the hospital's
family education program, food rations and demonstration equipment, and
treatment of hospitalized children and their mothers. The product contributions
to date have already benefited some 6,220 children and 4,300 mothers.
DRI has successfully worked with the Angkor Hospital for Children since
2003. Founded in 1999, the hospital has provided free comprehensive care for
more than 180,000 children in Siem Reap and neighboring provinces. With the
assistance of the Ministry of Health (MOH), the hospital also trains government
health care workers and nursing students from across the country. In 2005, the
hospital was officially designated as Cambodia's first teaching hospital.
Angkor Hospital is one of two sites selected by the World Health Organization
to host their Integrated Management of Children Illnesses training
programs.
Program Results
Since the partnership began in September 2006, progress has been
significant, with over 147,000 children receiving health services:
- 147,000 children assessed for nutritional status
- 247 children identified and treated for severe malnutrition
- 3,600 families attending nutrition information classes
- 339 staff and government healthcare providers attending in-service training
on nutrition
Pediatric Health in Cambodia
The health status of women and children in Cambodia remains perilous at best.
According to UNICEF, the mortality rate for children under five increased from
115 per 1,000 lives births in 1990 to 141 in 2004; nearly 45 percent of all children under five are underweight.
The maternal mortality rate in Cambodia was 450 per 100,000 live births in
2000.