Needed: Physicians in Cambodia

It’s an alarming figure:  One qualified doctor for every 5000 people in Cambodia, which is one of the lowest ratios in the world.  It’s no wonder that poor people must turn to unqualified and unlicensed “healers” to get any hope of care.

And with an entire village getting infected with HIV, it’s a tragic situation.

Of course, the situation is more complex than this.  Even if there were more physicians, could the poor people afford to get proper treatment?  What role should the government have in making sure that its people get treated?  Should there be an accelerated program through university to produce more healthcare workers?

At the Savong Foundation, we want our students to go to university and have professional careers.  We may have three young women who would like to go to medical school this fall but the fees are quite high and there is no way that the average Cambodian student could afford them.

$1500 for tuition for year 1 and then it increases to $3000 over the course of an eight year program.  These fees don’t include living expenses which range from $100 to $200/month.  Of course, these fees may sound cheap to the average foreigner going through med school but for Cambodia, where a family may bring in only $100 or $200/month, the fees might as well be a million dollars a year.

We’ve looked into microloans and so far, this is not even a viable solution.  There is a limit of $5000 and the loan needs to be paid back before the start of the next school year.  Our option at this point is to seek out private donations to cover the fees and with three students, these fees will be substantial …

But this is what Cambodia needs!  Young, ambitious, highly intelligent physicians who understand what it’s like to be poor!

If you would like to sponsor one of our young women, please contact me at phil@savongfoundation.org.

I can’t wait till graduation day.[/fusion_text][youtube id=”https://youtu.be/Pt0PCsa5eQM” width=”600″ height=”350″ autoplay=”no” api_params=”” class=””][/youtube]

Cambodia, donations, empower, Phnom Penh, physicians, scholarships, support, university, women, youth


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Phil Caldwell started the Savong Foundation in 2011 to serve underprivileged youth in northern Cambodia. As a veterinarian, he is equally passionate about helping animals and improving the welfare of neglected and suffering dogs and cats.

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