Dr.
Beat Richner is saving the lives of thousands of children in Cambodia. He is a
man everyone needs to know about.
Once
again I used my go-to source, TripAdvisor, to find recommendations for things to
do in Siem Reap. The Beatocello Concert was ranked 17 out of 103 attractions.
After experiencing this concert I think it should be moved to the top of the
list directly beside the temples found in Angkor Archaeological Park. Dr.
Richner filled his two hour concert with music played on his cello, a lecture
of the current health crisis in Cambodia, a video summarizing his work in
Cambodia, and his ongoing fight for Cambodians to receive humane treatment and
medicine. This wasn’t just a concert; it was an education.
Dr.
Beat Richner (pronounced “beyat rickner”), age 66, is a Swiss pediatrician who
is responsible for saving over 65% of the lives of children in Cambodia. In
1974 and 1975 he worked with the Swiss Red Cross who sent him to the Kantha Bopha
Hospital in Phnom Penh (Cambodian capital located nearly 200 miles from Siem
Reap). He was forced to immediately leave the country when the Khmer Rouge
overthrew Cambodia. In the early 90s Richner returned to Cambodia and was horrified
by the devastation the country had suffered. The Cambodian Government asked him
to rebuild the former hospital in Phnom Penh. Dr. Richner did as they
requested, but he saw a greater need. One hospital was not enough. He wanted to
build another. Each time Dr. Richner told people he wanted to build another
hospital they thought he was crazy. Some said he couldn’t do it and many
wondered how he would do it. He not only rebuilt the first hospital, but Dr.
Richner went on to build a total of five Kantha Bopha Children’s Hospitals in
Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. I was surprised when I heard this, but I was astonished
when he explained that the building of these hospitals was funded through the
Kantha Bopha Foundation, an organization he created. All monies were, and
continue to be, purely by donation.
Approximately
25% of this money comes from donations given at his concerts. I immediately
assumed he received a larger part of donations from governments with more money
such as the United States. I was wrong. He does receive about 10% from the
Swiss government, but countries such as the US are unable to contribute because
all of the services provided at the hospitals are free of charge. Yes, you read
that correctly – all treatment at the hospital is free. Please understand that
this is not a clinic, but a full-blown hospital. As well, the hospital provides
money for patients to get to and from the facility if they cannot afford to do
so themselves. Some patients have to receive multiple follow-up treatments and
the cost of that transportation is provided as well. Many Cambodians cannot
afford the cost of travel to these hospitals because their villages are too far
away. The mother is also allowed to stay at the hospital for free with her
child. Dr. Richner has even built a maternity ward where women can have a safe
delivery. He has heard every excuse as to why funds cannot be provided or
donations cannot be made. Throughout the concert Dr. Richner asks, “Is a child’s
life not worth saving?”
Dr.
Richner and his staff do their best to work with what they have, but what they
have is not enough. They do not receive the proper medical equipment needed to
diagnose or treat specific medical conditions. He explained that such basic
medical equipment is not provided to countries like Cambodia. He is fighting every
day for humane medicine in poor countries. Tuberculosis (TB) is the primary
cause of most illnesses in Cambodia. More than half of the people in the
country have TB. The current, more pressing epidemic in Cambodia is Dengue
Fever. Although he has done much work over the past 20 years, there is still
much to be done. He cannot do it alone. Before the Kantha Bopha Hospitals were
built, over 80% of sick children died each year because they had no place to be
treated. Because of the hospitals, that number is now below 10%. Dr. Richner
has saved and continues to save lives and selflessly gives the sick children of
Cambodia a chance at life.
Dr.
Richner ensures all of the 2,400-plus staff members are paid fairly with high
salaries to avoid corruption. He says where there is corruption there can be no
peace. Employees are not allowed to accept money “under the table” in order for
a child to get preferential treatment. Even the people who clean the hospitals
receive fair wages. The majority of employees there are Cambodian, also to my
surprise. Less than five employees are foreigners and he jokingly exclaimed his
cello is one of them.
His
concerts are held every Thursday and Saturday at 7:15pm at the Jayavarman VII
Hospital in Siem Reap. Our awareness and perspective grew so much in the time
we spent at his concert. It is very true that traveling the world can be life
changing. This concert has certainly contributed to that change. To anyone
visiting Cambodia and looking for a way to help: attend a concert and make a
donation. Dr. Richner asked for two types of donations from the audience. He asked
for the younger people to donate blood and for the older people to donate
money, but for those in between, he asked that they give both.
In
those moments where we ask ourselves if one person can really make a difference
or if a single contribution actually matters, think of Dr. Beat Richner. Yes,
one person can make every bit of difference and hundreds of children’s lives
are dependent upon a single contribution. Please visit Dr. Richner’s website for more information.
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| Dr. Beat Richner playing his cello |
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| This is a group of people outside the hospital in the morning, waiting to get their children seen. |
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