Sihanouk Hospital Launches Fee-Based Clinic

The Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE in Phnom Penh, which has provided free medical treatment to poor Cambodians for more than a decade, launched a new “fee-for-service” clinic Wed­nes­day for patients who are able and willing to pay.

The new 24-hour, 12-bed HOPE Clinic, located on Russian Federa­tion Boulevard, hopes to attract patients interested in paying for top-quality medical attention, and in the process generate revenue to help fund the free Sihanouk Hospital.

“As Cambodia continues to develop economically, we believe that there is a market and a need for high quality healthcare in this city,” Dan Liu, executive director of the Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE, said during the opening ceremony Wednesday.

“Patients will receive good value for their money. Furthe­rmore—excess revenue that we generate from the operation of this clinic will go back to support the Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE,” he said.

The Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE currently sees around 300 patients free of charge each day. Most of the hospital’s pa­tients are elderly and suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure, rheumatism and internal organ diseases, said Dr Tan Kim Meng, director of the new HOPE Clinic.

Canadia Bank General Man­ager Pung Kheav Se said at the opening ceremony that he had provided the site for the HOPE Clinic and would not charge rental fees for at least two years, and possibly longer. Cana­dia Bank also provided around $90,000 toward fitting out the clinic.

Bernard Krisher, chairman of the board of directors of Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE, said the new clinic was a quality, medical alternative for Cambodians who would opt to travel to Thai­land and Vietnam for health care. Krisher is also the publisher of The Cambodia Daily

Tep Lun, general director of the Ministry of Health, said that he believed the HOPE clinic would set a new standard, and become a model for Phnom Penh’s 40 other registered private clinics to follow.

 

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