For those of you who have come out to Chenla Children’s Healthcare in Kratie Cambodia, you know well the beauty of eastern Cambodia and the hardships faced by the people living here. To this day, 1 out of 24 children die before their fifth birthday and the numbers are worse in the most rural areas.
We, the Chenla Team, are very thankful for everyone who has supported us in 2019 through financial giving, volunteering and most importantly advocacy on our behalf. We strongly believe… that the simple act of talking about Chenla Children’s Healthcare is what catalyzes our success. When people talk about the genuine needs in eastern Cambodia combined with the Chenla approach of working collaboratively and compassionately within the government system, it helps the project take on a vibrant life of its own.
As many know, dengue hemorrhagic fever was the bane of our existence (and Cambodia as a whole) in 2019. We treated thousands of cases of dengue fever and hundreds of cases of dengue hemorrhagic fever. Very few patients died. Late arrival, severe symptoms, co-conditions and other external factors caused death in eight of our patients. We grieved with the families of each and strove hard to prevent any more from happening. Implementing and carefully following national diagnosis and treatment guidelines were key to success.
At Chenla Children’s Healthcare, we review in detail every case of death from dengue fever or other illnesses. We look for any mistakes caused by us or by healthcare provided before the child reached us. We look for ways to improve the care that was given. We look for ways to prevent in other children the illness that caused death. We perform evidenced based reviews and strive passionately for advancements. We do these things because these children’s lives matter as much as any child’s life.
The communities in Kratie province and eastern Cambodia are bringing their children to us in growing numbers because they see our results and they trust us. We seek to continue to earn their trust through always reassessing, always improving and always providing the best evidence based care possible. Compassion and know-how are our growing hallmarks.
From all of us at Chenla Children’s Healthcare we say a sincere and warm Thank You to all of you who have come along side us with compassion and caring. This year has been a success because of you and we look forwards to the big challenges and opportunities that assuredly will happen in 2020.
May this holiday season be full of renewal and joy for you and your loved ones.
The Chenla Team