Cambodia

Medical Volunteering in Cambodia (and Student Placements)

Medical volunteering in Cambodia is a great way of immersing yourself in the local culture.  A key focus for many of these placements is to share your skills and experience to help train and develop the local staff.

Medical Volunteering and Medical Electives in Cambodia – Battambang

Based in Cambodia’s second largest city however it maintains a small town feel. There is a small river meandering through the town centre with pleasant walking areas and many people getting around on bicycles. There are a number of expat-oriented restaurants and cafes available.  Seam Reap with the amazing Angkor temples is 3 hours away by local bus.

Surgical Hospital:  This hospital is supported by a charitable foundation, a non-profit NGO. The hospital has been the primary trauma and general surgery referral centre in Northwest Cambodia for nearly 15 years. Road accidents, falls and landmine victims are frequent.  A new Medical Ward has been added as well as an expanded clinical laboratory.

Volunteers needed include radiologists, anaesthesiologists, trauma surgeons, orthopaedic surgeons, laboratory technicians, nurses, and physical therapists. A strong focus in placed on sharing your knowledge and experience with the local staff so that they can continue to develop their skills and volunteers are requested to commit to one month or more. A small number of placements are available for medical students.

Non-medical volunteers are also welcome to do odd jobs to assist the hospital staff such as helping in the library and activities centre, and maintaining and uploading medical records on to the computer.

Provincial Referral Hospital:  This is a busy government hospital handling a wide range of surgeries, emergency, ICU, O&G, paediatrics, ENT and general medicine.  Outpatient facilities include dental, diabetics, HPT and psychiatry.  There are 4 operating theatres (2 for general surgery and 2 for O&G).  The most common cases include road trauma, head and abdominal surgery.  More than 3,500 babies are delivered annually at this hospital of which around 650 are c-sections.

Clinic and Health Centre:  This project involves working with a local charity that supports over 460 children and adults in the local community including 31 chronic cases. Their focus is on family preservation, providing basic life skills and building capacity for the local teams.  There is a junior doctor and two medical assistants, about 10 nurses and 8 midwives.  Volunteer skills required include GP’s, optometrists, dentists, nutritionists and social workers.  Public health and health prevention to help educate and manage dengue, malaria and HIV are also needed.  You will help support the local medical staff and build their knowledge and skills and improve health services for the local people.

Accommodation & Food (Battambang)

We use comfortable family-run guesthouse accommodation in Battambang. The guesthouse is well located to the hospital, town centre and the local markets. You will have your own room with fan, air-conditioning, private bathroom, TV, WiFi and laundry service. There is a small kitchen, bar and swimming pool for your relaxation.

Medical Volunteering in Cambodia – Siem Reap

Siem Reap is a beautiful city and home of the incredible Temples of Angkor; Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom, two of the greatest religious monuments in the world. Angkor Thom is a large Buddhist temple city and the famous tree-covered Bayon Temple within. The city is quintessential Cambodia with stunning architecture and some if the best food in Asia.

Medical Clinic:  This is a small primary health clinic located adjacent to a school in one of the poorest areas of Siem Reap.  Around fifty patients a day attend the clinic and are treated for everything including general and tropical medicine, women’s health, gastro issues, malnutrition, skin infections, burns and wounds. Hypertension and diabetes are also common. The clinic is staffed by a local Khmer team comprising two young doctors, a nurse and a pharmacist.  Home visits take place in the afternoons to see patients who may be too sick to attend the clinic.

General practitioners, nurses and physios are needed to help treat patients in this back to basics medical clinic. The local staff and patients appreciate your assistance and will learn from your experience.  More details will be provided prior to your departure in our Information Guide (including useful details about how the clinic operates, common conditions, available treatments and resources as well as their wish list).  What a great way to help the next generation to build a brighter future with better healthcare and an education!

First Aid Room:  There is always a queue of students needing First Aid treatment and advice. This placement is particularly suitable for GPs, nurses and small teams of medical students and nursing students.

Teaching:  The Community School educates 800 students daily, teaching English, maths, computer skills, moral and gender equality and hygiene. Everyone is welcome at the school to help provide free education for the local students. You can assist teachers with English classes for children of all ages. You do not need to be a qualified teacher to volunteer in the classroom to help with pronunciation, reading and writing. The main qualifications are enthusiasm, commitment, a flexible attitude and the ability to think outside of the square.

Community Development:  There is also opportunity to assist the local Khmer social workers in their outreach program. The program undertakes regular assessment of families in crisis situations, providing counselling, support and advice on family planning. Your computer skills would be useful for the preparation of family reports.

Accommodation & Food (Siem Reap)

In Siem Reap we use comfortable guesthouse accommodation. The guesthouse is well located and close to the local markets. You will have a single room with fan, air-conditioning, private bathroom, TV, fridge and free WiFi.  There is a swimming pool onsite.  Breakfast is included and the restaurant also offers lunch and dinner. However there are also many great restaurants in Siem Reap to try! Travel to work daily via bicycle or tuk tuk.

Medical Volunteering in Cambodia – Paediatrics Hospital, Kampot

This is a charity hospital with the vision to improve the health situation of Cambodians, especially children and expectant mothers, regardless of their ability to pay. Newly built in 2012 they have been providing outpatient services to adult and paediatric patients. Inpatient services for children and adults and emergency services started in 2013. The next phases will provide patients with Obstetrics/Gynaecology and Surgical services.

The hospital offers housing on site for some volunteers – subject to availability of rooms. Each hospital guesthouse has a common kitchen with refrigerator and stove top plus a common living area. Kitchens are equipped with basic furnishings for cooking and eating. Lunch Monday – Friday while at work is provided. There is also a nice restaurant with very reasonable prices within easy walking distance of the hospital. You will have a private bedroom and bathroom.

Medical Volunteering in Cambodia – Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia, and once one of the gems of French colonial Indochina. After years of terror and poverty Phnom Penh is finally re-emerging as a fine South East Asian capital. Waterfront parks and cafes, open-air Western and Khmer restaurants and the city’s classic Art Deco central market, are just brilliant. However Phnom Penh also holds some reminders of its darkest days under the Pol Pot regime – outside the city the ‘Killing Fields’ of Choeung Ek where the remains of thousands of murdered Cambodians were uncovered.

The focus of the hospital is adult medical care and is the only free health care facility in the city. It is primarily a teaching institution with approximately 20 general internal medicine physicians, 7 medical trainees, 9 surgeons, 2 surgical trainees, and 18 infectious disease doctors. Medical care is currently provided by about 56 Cambodian physicians who work closely with several expatriate doctors. They welcome all clinical professionals to volunteer including internal medicine, cardiologist, neurologist, endocrinologist, gastroenterologist, general surgeon, orthopaedic surgeon, radiologist and nurse.

The hospital opened in 1996 as a small charity hospital for the poor and has evolved into an important medical education centre for the country. They have a 12-hour emergency room, a 12-bed medical ward, 8-bed surgical ward, 2 operating rooms, as well as Radiology, Laboratory and Pathology departments, an inpatient and outpatient pharmacy, an HIV clinic and an HIV hospice. They need experienced medical professionals and usually accept just one volunteer at a time in each department to ensure the best use of available resources and make their time more productive. Volunteers are encouraged to share their skills and knowledge to help develop the local staff through presentations and workshops.

Accommodation & Food (Phnom Penh)

In Phnom Penh we use comfortable guesthouse accommodation which is centrally located. The hospital provides transportation to work each day (subject to availability) and lunch is also provided at work. You will have a double-bedded room with air-conditioning, private bathroom, TV, free WiFi, a library and laundry service included. There is a pleasant bar and restaurant on the outdoor verandah and breakfast is included.

When to Go 

Cambodia is an ideal place to visit all year round. Most months except for winter are quite humid.

NOV – FEB = Best time to travel
FEB – MAY = Hot but also a good time to travel
JUN – OCT = Rainy season with short afternoon showers and high humidity

A National Police Check (for Siem Reap) or Working With Children Clearance will be required for all Volunteers and we can provide details on how to arrange this.

Cost (per person)

Volunteers are required to submit a recent Working with Children Check or a National Police Report – we can advise on how to arrange this.

Terms & Conditions

CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (‘CPD’) & PROFESSIONAL INDEMNITY

Your medical voluntary work may be eligible for CPD points with your relevant college. We will send you a copy of the guiding information with your travel documents.

We recommend that volunteers advise their professional indemnity provider of their medical volunteering in Cambodia in advance of travel.

DEPOSIT
A deposit of A$495 will be requested after your placement is confirmed.  This deposit is non-refundable.

FINAL PAYMENT is due two months prior to departure.

FLIGHTS

Airlines flying to Siem Reap and Phnom Penh include Singapore Airlines, Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar and Qantas/Bangkok Airlines.

VISAS
Visas are required for most nationalities travelling to Cambodia and may be obtained on arrival (approximately US$30 for 30 day business visa and please take spare passport photos with you).

TRAVEL INSURANCE
It is a condition of your travel arrangements that you have current travel insurance to cover against cancellation fees, medical expenses (including Covid cover), lost luggage and evacuation.

CANCELLATION FEES
Please refer to the Conditions section on the Application Form. Deposits are non-refundable once your arrangements have been confirmed.

Please note that all costs are subject to change due to increases in taxes, hotel and volunteer price increases, as well as currency adjustments.