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Medical Aid for the Poorest of the Poor
In a country where 80 percent of the population are designated as "poor" by the UN, is there any hope for the prisoners to receive medical care? Read how PF is helping these suffering prisoners.
When most of a country‘s population is living in poverty, there are generally little or no resources available to prisoners. It‘s been 25 years since the Pol Pot regime in Cambodia left 1.5 million Cambodians dead from starvation, illness or overwork, and an additional 200,000 were executed. The country is slowly rebuilding, but according to the UN, 80 percent of the population is considered “poor,” and 40 percent live well below the poverty line.
It is therefore not surprising that Cambodian prisoners face bleak conditions. Prison authorities are provided with only 25 cents (USD) per prisoner per day for food, medicines, clothing and general supplies. The poorly ventilated, overcrowded prisons lead to the spread of infectious and deadly diseases. The lack of food results in severe malnutrition among the prisoners.
These were the conditions that a medical team with PFI‘s Global Assistance Project encountered when they arrived at Cambodian prisons in June. The team of doctors, nurses and dentists treated diseases such as scabies, diarrhoea, tuberculosis and beriberi. A total of 1,300 inmates in eight prisons were treated, and an additional 400 dental extractions were performed, relieving prisoners of severe pain that would have only worsened without treatment.
The medical team was accompanied by PF Cambodia staff, who have been working diligently to improve the plight of prisoners. When sick prisoners are close to death, they are sent to the military hospital, which was previously in deplorable condition. PF Cambodia built a small extension to the hospital and restored running water and toilet facilities, which greatly alleviated the prisoners‘ suffering. They‘ve also helped to connect dying prisoners with long-lost relatives, who can then care for the inmates in their last days. “They [PF Cambodia] have only been operating for four years, but they have already made great progress in improving the physical and spiritual conditions of the prisoners,” commented Scott Cameron, one of the volunteer doctors.
