Cambodian petroleum giant Sokimex will break ground Saturday on a $42 million private medical center in a partnership with Ho Chi Minh City’s renowned Choray Hospital, Sokimex President Sok Khong said Tuesday.
The project, to be called Choray Phnom Penh Hospital, will be built on a 5-hectare plot in Phnom Penh’s Meanchey district and is aimed at tapping the market for Cambodians who currently seek medical treatment abroad.
The first stage of the project, a $15 million facility with 200 beds, is expected to be completed in two years. Stage two will see the facility expanded by an additional 300 beds, although a timeframe for this phase has not been determined.
“The hospital will help people reduce the expenses of traveling to Vietnam,” Mr Kong said. “Samdech [Prime Minster Hun Sen] has asked me to build a hospital to keep people from having to spend a lot of money,” he said.
Sok Vanna, a Sokimex project manager, said the Choray Hospital will assume 70 percent of the initial investment, with the remainder provided by Sokimex. Choray’s success in Ho Chi Minh City, particularly its popularity with Cambodian patients, prompted the venture.
The deal involves the Choray Hospital administering its Phnom Penh sister facility once it is built, while Vietnamese doctors will work alongside their Cambodian counterparts, who will receive on-the-job training, he said.
Sok Sokhun, director of the Phnom Penh municipal health department, said the new hospital will meet a clear demand in Cambodia, where doctors often lack equipment and facilities despite having similar qualifications to their Vietnamese counterparts.
The reputation of Vietnamese hospitals is also very good in Cambodia, and the Choray name will likely carry weight when it comes to Cambodian patients, he said.
“Cambodians are going to Vietnam for medical treatments. There are at least 250 patients daily,” Mr Sokhun said.