twrama 1841_august_2.. - AMA WA

BEYOND BORDERS
Promising: Sen Sok International University
Hospital is the most advanced of its kind in
Cambodia.
Solemn reminder: The Shrine
of Remembrance filled with skulls
of victims at the Killing Fields.
Connecting: Dr Marcus Tan with some of
the children at one of Transform Cambodia’s
education centres.
transformed into internment camps, interrogation and torture
sites. Many lives were taken at the infamous Killing Fields just
outside the city.
It is apparent that Cambodia is still rebuilding itself
following this dark period in its history, with significant
investment required for infrastructure and replenishing people
with skills, education and leadership. Despite a plethora of
NGOs working in Cambodia, there is still a lack of quality
health care.
Cambodia has 0.24 doctors per 1000 people – this, in a country
of 13.4 million people. Compare this to Australia with about 22.3
million people served by 3.31 doctors per 1000 people.
Whilst there remains a significant amount of government
corruption, I was fortunate to have been serendipitously
introduced to Cambodia’s Secretary of State. This articulate,
multilingual gentleman with degrees in Economics, Computer
Science and Applied Mathematics gained in France and the
US introduced himself as the Cambodian equivalent of Hillary
Clinton. The story of his return to Cambodia to help rebuild his
home country is nothing short of inspiring and if he is an example
of the new breed of government officials helping to improve the
country, then Cambodia has much to be optimistic about.
I am currently hoping to return to Cambodia, and take
the thinking behind services such as AMA (WA)’s Dr YES
program to encourage local Cambodian medical students to
volunteer to provide health promotion activities combined
with a mobile clinic like that provided by Perth’s local
StreetDoctor service.
I have been privileged to grow up in Australia and I am
tremendously grateful to have been given opportunities many
do not receive. It is easy to forget how good we have it living in
Western Australia. I only hope my children realise how lucky
they are and I hope to, one day soon, show them how others less
fortunate live and inspire them to do something about it.
Meridian Global Foundation
Meridian was established in 2005 by a group of Perth-based
business people and professionals looking to give something
back to their community. The founders were looking for a
more sustainable and personal way to make a difference and
knew there were a lot of like-minded people who felt the same
way. The question was how to harness the passion, talents and
generosity of a new generation beyond just making a financial
donation to a charity. They realised that the fulfilment, passion
and inspiration associated with supporting worthy causes came
from a closer involvement.
Meridian is a public ancillary fund based on an endowment
model. It pools the funds of supporters and invests these funds
with the purpose of creating a sustainable ongoing cash flow to
support DGR-endorsed organisations into perpetuity.
Over the years, Meridian has supported charities involved
in young people, education and microfinance, including
Opportunity International, The Smith Family and Habitat
for Humanity. These projects meet Meridian’s values of
sustainability, empowerment and innovation.
Since its inception Meridian has donated tens of thousands
of dollars and volunteered thousands of man hours in support
of worthy charities.
Donations to Meridian are tax deductible and more
information can be found at www.meridianglobal.org.
August MEDICUS 47