LDS Humanitarian Services

I must thank the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints for giving me the opportunity to travel and serve the people of Cambodia. I was only one of a group of 100 physicians, nurses, engineers, interpreters, nutritionists and others who were dedicated and great company and travel companions. Many had been on the ship for 3 months and served the people of Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, and Cambodia.
Also many thanks to the Navy and host countries that made the Pacific Partnership 2012 a great success.

Choeung EK Genocidal Center

One cannot go to Cambodia without noticing that there is a missing segment of the population. The 45-65 year olds are gone. Pol Pot ranks up there with Hitler and Stalin and estimates are that 2-3 million people died directly or indirectly from his actions and policies. There are over 300 known "killing fields" in Cambodia. In the mid 1970's Pol Pot drove all the people from the cities into the country side. He killed any one with handicaps, that wore gasses, or had an education. If there was any suspicion, you were killed. This was a somber visit to this site.

Day Off

After 2 weeks on the ship I was able to spend the afternoon in town. We hired a car to take us around. We went to a water fall and traveled the country. There are a lot of shoe and clothing factories in Cambodia. The wage for a laborer is about $3 per day for 10 hours. In one of my clinics I had a woman come in complaining of fatigue and back pain. I found out she had 4 children under the age of 11. She worked 10 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year in the rice fields carrying heavy buckets all day. What do you think was the diagnosis?

Home?

After a few days we referred to the ship as home. I was very impressed with the Navy. The food was not bad and there was plenty of it. We often saw it again in a different form at another meal, but at least they were creative. We had to sign out every time we left the ship and were accounted for before we left and when we returned. There was a lot of "hurry up and wait" which is a typical part of military life. I would have to say my experience with the Navy was great and I enjoyed working with them. They were all professionals and our country is in good hands with them on the sea.

Peer Exchange

One afternoon I was able to go visit the Regional Hospital. We first met with the hospital director and then were taken on a tour. The conditions were heartbreaking and I had to hold back tears as I toured the facilities. Patients were on beds in a breezeway. The beds had no mattresses and families either brought a blanket or mat for their family member to lay on. Resources were very few. Families and patients brought their own food and cooked in the rooms.

Painting

With not much to do on the ship, I volunteered to help the Seabees on a project to remodel a clinic. We traveled an hour inland to a remote village. I spent the day helping paint the exterior and interior of the clinic. It was great to work all day and not have to think. I needed to give my brain a rest.

Subject Mater Exchange

The Navy uses a lot of acronyms. It took awhile to get used to them. I had the opportunity to give a dermatology lecture at Life University in Sihanoukville. (SME) Approximately 150 nurses and physicians from the local community were in attendance. Pediatricians and surgeons also made presentations and afterwards we broke up into groups and taught them to stitch and tie knots using bananas.

Rain

Wow! I have never seen rain like this before! The first week it rained on and off all day. Some times it rained so hard you could not even hear the person next to you. We would have to stop and wait till it slowed down to finish speaking. The water buffalo did not seem to mind. The humidity was very high. I had to get used to dripping with sweat all day from the minute I left the ship till I returned. I couldn't believe some of the people were wearing coats and sweaters and were complaining of the cold. They were not even sweating.

Clinic

I had the opportunity to see patients at a school about 50 minutes inland on Monday thru Thursday. We mustered around 5:30am and returned to the ship around 6:00 pm. The majority of patients I saw were general medicine. I treated reflux, diabetes, hypertension and all kinds of ailments and parasitic bowel infections. Most of the rashes were sent to me and I saw some pretty interesting things. The most fun I had was teaching the medical students. I usually had 3 medical students working with me. Cambodian medical school is taught in English. The students were 2nd thru 6th year.

Day 3 (probably 4)

As soon as the Mercy arrived the port became a flury of activity. The ship anchored a mile off shore and helicopters began non-stop flights from ship to dock with humanitarian aid and supplies to set up clinics inland. We were finally taken to the port where we took the "band aid" boat to the ship. It was my first time living on a Navy ship. It was well protected by the Marines and the Cambodian Navy. I spent the next day getting used to ship life and on Monday started clinic at a rural school.

Journey to Sihanoukville

We traveled by van to Sihanoukville. It was about a 5 hour trip. The road was very good but slow trucks and millions of motor scooters were dodged. The most amazing thing about this country is the number and use for motor scooters. I saw entire families of 5 on a single scooter. They were used to haul anything you can think of and many were towing trailers with amazing loads. We stayed at the Victory Beach Hotel and waited for the Mercy to arrive the following morning.

Day 2

The following morning we had a Complimentary breakfast in the dining room. The spread was amazing! Our room overlooked the Mekong River. Pockets of boats like the one in the picture could be seen along the shores. It was evident that this was home to many families. We did not leave for Sihanoukville till 11 am so we did a walking and tuk-tuk tour of Phnom . The hotel was only a block away from the Palace. Cambodia has a King, but the power lies in an elected Prime Minister.

Cambodia

After a long flight through Seoul to Phnom Penh we arrived at the Cambodiana Hotel around 10 pm.
We had an interesting blossom or fruit waiting in the room. We didn't open and taste it till the next day. I think it was "Dragon Fruit".