About SHCH
Hospital Overview
The Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE (SHCH) is a hospital and medical training facility located in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It offers a wide range of medical services to Cambodians completely free of charge. Daily over 300 patients travel from throughout Cambodia for free medical care. The number of patients and the complexity of the illnesses have grown significantly over the years. Through its ten years of service, SHCH has developed a solid reputation throughout Cambodia for high quality care.
SHCH opened its doors in December 1996 as the result of a collaborative effort between World Mate, Japan Relief for Cambodia, and HOPE worldwide. The hospital is driven by compassion, care, and the desire to provide first-world medical treatment to the poor in Cambodia. Many Cambodians are unable to gain access to primary/preventive care because adequate medical facilities are available only in the larger cities. Fifty percent of our patients come from outside of Phnom Penh. The Sihanouk Center of HOPE has become a beacon of optimism and compassion for the Cambodian people.
The disruption of Cambodian social and institutional structures caused by three decades of political unrest has been devastating, particularly to the country's ability to educate its population and provide basic medical care. As a result, the majority of the country's population lives in poverty. Poverty leads to malnutrition making people susceptible to illnesses; this in turn exacerbates poverty as families having no resources are forced to sell land and animals to pay for care and medicines, further reducing their ability to make a living. People get sick because they are poor. They get poorer because they are sick.
The Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE is trying to break the cycle of poverty. By providing high-quality, free medical care, we are restoring individual patient's health and their ability to make a living. By providing a center for the further education and clinical training of medical professionals in Cambodia, we are restoring healthcare to an entire nation.
Also, SHCH is dedicated to a long-term compassionate approach for HIV+ patients who are diagnosed at SHCH. Our Continuum of Care program provides regular treatment and services for HIV+ patients that goes well beyond the periphery of hospital visits. This program provides hospice care for the most acutely ill patients, at our hospice (CCF), and provides anti-retroviral drugs to over 1,000 of our patients on a regular basis at the CRC.
Cambodia in Perspective
Some facts about Cambodia:
- It is estimated that only 45 doctors survived the Khmer Rouge genocide.
- There is one doctor per 1724, and one nurse per 735 people.
- Life expectancy is 57 years.
- There are 2.1 hospital beds per 1000 people.
- Enrollment rate in tertiary education is 3.3% vs. an average of 5.1% in low income countries.
- 63% of people are not functionally literate.
- 36% of Cambodians live on less than 50 cents/day.
- In Thailand and Vietnam, 99% and 85% respectively of all births, have a skilled birth attendant. Cambodia has a skilled birth attendant only 32% of the time.
- The under-five mortality rate for Cambodian children is the worst in SouthEast Asia. 68 Cambodian children die for every 1,000 births, compared to just 18 and 16 deaths per 1,000 births in Thailand and Vietnam, respectively.
- Only 17% of Cambodians Have Access to Sanitation.
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The mission of the Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE is to provide a center for the further education and clinical training of medical professionals, while delivering 24-hour high-quality, free medical care for the poor and needy in Cambodia.
Future Development
SHCH is working toward the development of programs that are both sustainable and reproducible. It aims to help create an infrastructure of healthcare in both the private and public sectors, with each contributing to and complementing the other. In order to realize these goals, SHCH relies on the continued support of its donors, volunteers, and staff. In September 2007, the hospital took a major stride forward in sustainable development. The hospital opened a fee-for-service clinic providing the same high-quality medical care to patients who have the ability to pay. In time, portions of the income generated from the clinic will flow back to support the work at the hospital, which remains committed to serving the poor of Cambodia.
Hospital Location
The hospital is located on Street 134, Sangkat Vealvong, Khan 7 Makara, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. SHCH is just a few blocks from Orussey Market and Central Market. Take Tchecoslovaquie Blvd (Street 169) north and turn right on Street 134; the hospital is immediately on your right.
