La Chaîne de l’Espoir in Cambodia

A cardiac surgery mission by Dr Gérard Babatasi, head of the cardiac surgery department at Caen University Hospital, will visit Phnom Penh and Siem Reap from September 25 to October 6, 2023. He will be accompanied by Dr Pascale Maragnes, a cardiopediatrician specializing in neonatal ultrasound at Caen University Hospital.

A young girl at the Children's Pavilion in Kabul

These missions, the latest of which took place last January, are the fruit of a long-standing cooperation between La Chaîne de l’Espoir and the Swiss Kantha Bopha Children’s Hospital Foundation.

Thanks to the support and expertise of La Chaîne de l’Espoir’s medical teams over many years, the Kantha Bopha hospital in Siem Reap was able to set up a cardiac surgery department in 2011, and will be able to do so in its new cardiopediatric unit in Phnom Penh in 2019.

The medical teams at Kantha Bopha have been self-sufficient for several years in the treatment of simple heart disease, but they still need expertise in the treatment of complex heart disease, particularly in infants. With doctors Ponn Ladin and Sok Lay, trained by La Chaîne de l’Espoir, and the support of French caregivers, some 20 young patients will benefit from open-heart surgery or interventional catheterization in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. The mission will be complemented by ultrasound screening consultations for heart disease at both sites.

La Chaîne de l’Espoir would also like to offer its Echoes® system, remote cardiac echocardiography sessions in real time for the detection, correct diagnosis and referral of children to be scheduled for surgery during missions. The cooperation agreement between La Chaîne de l’Espoir and Kantha Bopha also includes plans to extend training to other specialties such as laparoscopy and orthopedics, for which missions are planned.

Mariela, open-heart surgery in Madagascar

About Kantha Bopha:

Dr. Beat RICHNER, founder of the Kantha Bopha Hospital Foundation, opened his 1st pediatric hospital in 1992. To date, 5 hospitals in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh have been opened, providing free care for 85% of Cambodia’s sick children in need of treatment, hospitalization or surgery. Dr. Beat Richner passed away in 2018; Dr. Denis Laurent has since been the director of the Kantha Bopha hospitals.

About La Chaîne de l’Espoir

La Chaîne de l’Espoir is an international NGO founded in 1994 and present in nearly 30 countries. Its mission is to strengthen healthcare systems to give everyone, especially children, the same chances of survival and development.

Press contact

Anaïs Dedieu
Media and Public Relations Manager
+33 6 02 17 62 97
adedieubensaid@chainedelespoir.org