Beatocello

We had heard about a Swiss doctor who had founded a number of children hospitals in Cambodia and as part of his fund-raising efforts, performs a Cello concert each Saturday in Siem Reap. We thought this would be an interesting evening event and as it turned out, it was. It was readily apparent that he was very passionate about his work and just as apparent that he had a few “issues” with many of the larger health and development agencies around the world.

His hospitals offer first world medical care to the children of Cambodia, free of charge – relying heavily on private funding (currently US $35 million/year) to fund the 6 hospitals that he has founded. Critics of his approach argue that the money could be better spent by reducing the level of care and focusing on prevention measures, also stating that children in poor areas will likely be reinfected after being treated for illnesses. Regardless of who is right (I suspect they both have valid points), he and his hospitals which account for 85% of all children hospitalisations in Cambodia have saved thousands of lives and his selfless dedication to the monumental task was pretty humbling. Oh, and his Cello skills are pretty good too!