Beat Richner, a Swiss paediatric doctor and cellist, has been honoured by the King of Cambodia for his life’s work. Richner, 70, has built five children’s hospitals in the southeast Asian country.  The sustainable continuation of the Kantha Bopha hospitalsexternal link, which treat sick children for free, is of great importance for Cambodia’s health system, said King Norodom Sihamoni on Wednesday at a ceremony for the 25th anniversary of the hospitals. 

 

Zurich-born Richner, also well known in Switzerland by his nickname of Beatocello, sadly could not be present, the hospital foundation said in a statement. He fell very ill a couple of months ago and had to return to Switzerland for treatment.  Richner first went to Cambodia in 1974, sent by the Swiss Red Cross to work at the Kantha Bopha Children’s hospital in Phnom Penh. This had been established by former king Norodom Sihanouk in 1962 after one of his daughters, Kantha Bopha, died of leukaemia. 

 

The Swiss paediatrician was forced to leave when the Khmer Rouge took power in 1975. He was invited back to Cambodia at the end of 1991 and moved to Phnom Penh in 1992, where he rebuilt the Kantha Bopha hospital. It reopened at the end of 1992. Since then several more institutions such as maternity clinics have been built in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. 

 

read more https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/beat-richner_swiss-children-s-doctor-honoured-by-cambodian-king/43681538

 

Great man! The world needs more of them.

good guy. musician too. he organizes charity concerts at a siam reap hospital.