As the dengue death toll swells, the hospital treating about 80 per cent of dengue-suffering children in Cambodia has received two new donations totalling US$1.3 million.

The disease has claimed the lives of 57 children in the Kingdom as of July 3, and public health facilities reported 14,284 cases, National Dengue Control Program director Ngan Chantha said.

That represented a jump of nine deaths and 2,618 new cases in just under a week.

Among the cases reported, 9,733 were treated at Kantha Bopha Childrens Hospitals, according to Ngan Chantha.

He added that in most years, Kantha Bopha treated the majority of dengue cases nationwide.

The hospitals, which are mostly funded through private donations, need an annual budget of $30 million to stay afloat, according to the website of Kantha Bopha founder Dr Beat Richner.

The hospitals have also seen a 30 per cent patient increase in the first five months of this year, according to Richner.

He advertised in local media calling for donations, but the dengue spike in June and July further burdened the cash-strapped hospitals, he told the Post recently.

Of the total aid, US$1 million is from the Cambodian Red Cross, headed by Bun Rany, Prime Minister Hun Sen’s wife, and $300,000 is from the premier’s daughter’s Bayon Foundation.

To contact the reporter on this story: Kim Yuthana at [email protected]