Medical Care Growth Update!
For the medically-minded:
I am often asked what kind of medical conditions I commonly treat in Cambodia, so let’s take a glimpse!
While I DO see exotic conditions, most patients simply need treatment for common chronic diseases, like hypertension and diabetes. A large part of my work is getting them on appropriate and sufficient medication management. I have found many patients to be on medications that are not indicated for their condition, and nearly all of the diabetic patients are significantly undertreated. Due to our recurring clinics, I have become the PCP for many patients, enabling me to optimize their diabetes care. A notable step within the last year is the ability to monitor their A1C levels.
The more unfamiliar medical conditions I see in Cambodia, arise from a combination of poor sanitation, the tropical climate, malnutrition, and delaying treatment. It is sadly common to see infants and toddlers who are underweight due to constant diarrheal illnesses that are directly perpetuated by their use of unclean water and proximity to animal waste. The tropical climate subjects Cambodians to Dengue Fever every year during the rainy season, but the more frequent problem is dermatologic conditions from fungal and parasitic infections. Bacterial rashes and abscesses are also very common from the general state of poor sanitation.
Malnutrition is still seen because of poverty, as is delay in treatment. People will suffer with drastic injuries or illnesses for weeks to months because they cannot pay for medical care. If the condition does not improve and they are forced to seek care, many people must make drastic sacrifices such as selling their home or procuring a loan from a loan shark. We’ve had patients, seeking care for the first time, with visibly crooked bones, blindness in an eye, gangrene, or startling symptoms such as black urine. Each one of these individuals were left with nothing to do but simply hope that they might recover well.
