Blog Post

Good News About Cambodia Hospitals & Medical Centers

HOPE worldwide • Feb 10, 2021

Press Release:

HOPE worldwide’s mission in Cambodia meets goals, shifts focus after 25 years

  • 5,000 local doctors and nurses trained to provide care to materially poor Cambodians
  • Phnom Penh hospital and medical centers pioneered compassionate, sustainable healthcare
  • HOPE worldwide redirecting resources to more pressing needs in Cambodia and globally

(Feb. 9, 2021) – HOPE worldwide today announced its 25-year collaborative effort to build a sustainable community healthcare model for impoverished Cambodians has met its initial goals through the success of Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE and HOPE worldwide’s three medical centers in Phnom Penh.


Named for Cambodia’s King Father, Norodom Sihanouk, Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE now employs a nearly 100% Cambodian workforce and senior management team, has provided more than 1.5 million patient consultations free of charge, and has trained 5,000 medical professionals since it was established in 1996. Twenty-five years later, Cambodia as a whole has seen dramatic improvements in life expectancy, infant mortality and poverty rates.


Founded by U.S. humanitarians Bob and Pat Gempel in 1991, HOPE worldwide has been discussing a transition for several years and plans to work with the Sihanouk Hospital board to eventually transition its role in managing the hospital to a management team that shares its commitment to quality, compassionate healthcare for those who need it most. HOPE worldwide recently transferred ownership of its medical centers to Endeavor for SEA Health Inc., established by one of the founding members of the hospital. The medical centers will continue to provide financial support for the hospital.


“Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE and the HOPE worldwide Medical Centers are a remarkable story of collaboration over three decades that has created a sustainable model for delivering healthcare by local medical professionals to Cambodians, regardless of their ability to pay,” said David Malutinok, president of HOPE worldwide. “This is a shining example of what can be done when generous donors, volunteers, and compassionate, visionary leaders and their organizations come together and open their hearts to respond to disasters, strengthen communities and inspire greater hope in the world.”


HOPE worldwide will continue to provide transitional support to the hospital and medical centers in Phnom Penh as it also shifts its focus in Cambodia to address the critical needs of children and expectant mothers in more rural Kampot, where child mortality rates are among the highest in Asia and thousands of children are still dying of treatable diseases. Since 2012, HOPE worldwide has managed Sonja Kill Memorial Hospital in Kampot. The hospital specializes in maternity, prenatal and pediatric care on a sliding-scale basis, and houses the only neonatal ICU in Southern Cambodia.



“When HOPE worldwide arrived in Cambodia, the healthcare system was devastated after years of conflict and the Khmer Rouge regime,” said Jeffrey Jones, board co-chair of HOPE worldwide. “Over the years, many HOPE worldwide board members and others have traveled to Phnom Penh and been deeply moved by this healthcare initiative, while our donors around the world have contributed to the cause. We are honored to have played a role in the success of these efforts, and we commend the dedicated hospital and medical center staff, as well as the resilience of the Cambodian people.”

About HOPE worldwide

HOPE worldwide is an international charity that changes lives through the compassion and commitment of dedicated staff and volunteers to deliver sustainable, high-impact, community-based services to the materially poor and needy. Today HOPE worldwide serves more than 1.5 million people annually on every inhabited continent. After 30 years, HOPE worldwide continues to be an organization dedicated to serving, teaching, healing and loving communities made vulnerable due to poverty, disease or disasters. Together we can inspire greater hope in our world.


To learn more about HOPE worldwide visit hopeww.org. Connect on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter and TikTok for the most current news on projects around the world.


Media Contact:

HOPE worldwide

Email: media@hopeww.org


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