Beat Richner facts for kids
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Beat Richner (born March 13, 1947, died September 9, 2018) was a special doctor from Switzerland. He was a pediatrician, which means a children's doctor. He was also a talented cellist and started many children's hospitals in Cambodia. In 1992, he created the Kantha Bopha Foundation in Zurich to help run these hospitals. Because he was both a cellist and a doctor, people often called him "Beatocello".
Who was Beatocello?
After becoming a doctor in 1973, Dr. Richner chose to specialize in caring for children. He worked at the Zurich Children's Hospital in Switzerland. In 1974, he went to Cambodia with the Swiss Red Cross. There, he worked at the Kantha Bopha Children's Hospital in Phnom Penh. This hospital was named after Princess Norodom Kantha Bopha, who sadly passed away very young.
When a group called the Khmer Rouge took over Cambodia, Dr. Richner had to go back to Switzerland. He continued his work at the Zurich Children's Hospital. During this time, Dr. Richner developed his famous character, "Beatocello". This was an artistic and funny clown who played the cello. He also wrote many children's books about Beatocello.
In December 1991, Dr. Richner returned to Cambodia. He saw how much the country had suffered from past conflicts. The Cambodian government asked him to re-open and rebuild the Kantha Bopha hospital. He started the Kantha Bopha Foundation in March 1992. The hospital officially reopened in November 1992. Since then, the foundation has helped build five Kantha Bopha Children's Hospitals in total.
As "Beatocello," Dr. Richner gave free concerts. These were held at the Jayavarman VII hospital in Siem Reap. He would play his cello and talk about the health problems in Cambodia. He would ask young visitors for blood donations. Older visitors were asked for money to help the hospitals. People in between were asked for both.
Dr. Richner and his work were featured in several documentary films. Georges Gachot made six films about him, including Bach at the Pagoda (1997) and And the Beat Goes On (1999). Another film, "Dr Beat and The Passive Genocide of Children," was made in 2006.
Dr. Richner believed that all people, no matter how poor, deserved good healthcare. He was named "Swiss of the Year" in 2002 for his amazing work. He passed away on September 9, 2018, at the age of 71, after a serious illness.
Kantha Bopha Hospitals: Helping Children
The five children's hospitals built by Dr. Richner and the Kantha Bopha Foundation are in Cambodia's main cities. All these hospitals provide medical treatment completely free of charge. Kantha Bopha I and II are in Phnom Penh. Jayavarman VII is located in Siem Reap. Kantha Bopha IV opened in Phnom Penh in December 2005. It is connected to Kantha Bopha I. The fifth hospital, the newest one, also opened in Phnom Penh in December 2007.
Kantha Bopha II was opened on October 12, 1996. It was built because Kantha Bopha I was becoming too crowded. King Norodom Sihanouk donated the land for this hospital. Jayavarman VII was built in 1998 on land donated by Prime Minister Hun Sen. This hospital is near the famous Angkor Wat temples. It offers health education, along with care for patients who stay overnight or visit for appointments.
In October 2001, a special maternity ward was added to Jayavarman VII. This ward was for mothers with HIV. It had 350 hospital beds. In 2004, construction began on Kantha Bopha IV. This was to help with space issues at Kantha Bopha I. It stands near the famous Wat Phnom in the capital city. Dr. Richner raised 15 million USD for this hospital. Much of the money came from donations in Switzerland.
The Kantha Bopha hospitals treat about half a million children every year. All these treatments are free. Around 100,000 seriously ill children are admitted. Common illnesses include Japanese encephalitis, malaria, dengue fever, and typhoid. These are often made worse by tuberculosis (TB), which is a major killer. The hospitals have an amazingly low mortality rate of only 1%. Dr. Richner said his hospitals provided over 80% of all children's healthcare in Cambodia.
These hospitals are mainly supported by donations from people in Switzerland. In 2006, the cost to run them was about US$17 million. Since the Foundation started in 1991, it has raised an estimated US$370 million.
Besides medical care, the hospitals also offer special training for doctors. The Kantha Bopha Academy for Pediatrics started in 2009. This program includes lessons on general children's health, infections, and how to manage a children's hospital in a tropical country.
Works
- Kantha Bopha. Als Schweizer Arzt in Kambodscha ("Kantha Bopha: A children's doctor in Cambodia"), 1995, ISBN: 3-85823-570-9
- Hoffnung für die Kinder von Kantha Bopha, NZZ 2004, ISBN: 3-03823-047-2
- Hope for the children of Kantha Bopha: our third hospital, maternity ward, training and conference centre, translated from German, NZZ 2004, ISBN: 3-03823-098-7
