Two-star general Hun Manet, son of Prime Minister Hun Sen, officially opened a new wing of the Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC) in Phnom Penh’s Russey Keo district on Friday.

Dressed in plain khaki with no markings of rank or insignia, the major general thanked everyone involved and described the new Vanda Wing as a significant benefit for the Kingdom’s most vulnerable members.

“Cambodia went through a war that left us a lot of disabled people, and we need cooperation from the NGOs and the ministries to solve this problem together,” he said.

Funds for the 900-metre wing, which more than doubled the hospital’s plant, were donated by the Singaporean Vanda Sports Group at a cost of $430,000.

The donor-funded hospital, which has been in operation since 1998, boasts a highly trained staff of nearly 100 including 20 doctors and 20 nurses.

“In the USA, every state has a crippled children’s program, and they get a budget every year. Cambodia doesn’t have a fund like that yet and needs one,” pointed out Dr Jim Gollogly, the CEO of the CSC.

Though called the Children’s Surgical Centre, people of all ages can receive treatment, free of charge, at the facility.  

“Nobody is allowed to take money, but they can bring you a bag of bananas,” Gollogly said.

Among the main conditions treated at the hospital are bone disease, polio, cleft lips and palates, eye conditions and cancer.

The hospital is also one of the country’s leading acid attack treatment centres.

To contact the reporter on this story: Stuart Alan Becker at [email protected]