Firstly, let us extend our deepest sympathies to those who have died of the coronavirus, their bereaved families and all others who have been affected by this disease. Our heart goes out to you.
Hello, I am Sugawara and I have been working in the management department at Japan Heart since November. On December 9th Dr Kojiro, the director of Japan Heart Children’s Medical Center, gave a lecture on Covid-19 to the staff at the hospital and presented a guide on reviewing infection control measures in the hospital.
At the hospital, there are usually about 60 patients hospitalised, both adults and children. Half of the inpatients are oncology patients and, in many cases, their immune systems are critically vulnerable, so it is necessary to pay careful attention to measures against the Covid-19 infections.
To make matters more serious, Cambodia is in the midst of a community outbreak of Covid-19 for the first time. Since the first community cases were discovered on November 28, there have been 38 new cases found as of December 9, mainly in Phnom Penh. Against this backdrop of unprecedented risk of infection Dr Kojiro explained the following:
-The currently known characteristics and symptoms of Covid-19 and infection control
-What do if an outpatient or emergency patient is suspected of having symptoms
-Changes in ward cleaning protocols and work rules
Japan Heart has staff with knowledge about countermeasures against Covid-19, which is really encouraging. However, there are few hospitals in Cambodia equipped with respirators and once an outbreak is widespread, it will be uncontrollable. Even under these circumstances, we would like to work with greater caution in order to realise Japan Heart’s mission of delivering medical care to places that it otherwise could not reach.
Shota Sugawara, Japan Heart Cambodia