Amid health care row, PM defends trip to Singapore



A Facebook post from Prime Minister HE defending his trip to Singapore to undergo a routine medical checkup yesterday comes amid an ongoing squabble between a Khmer-American tycoon and a governmental medical association over the state of Cambodian health care.

“Just because I have a medical checkup in Singapore, it does not mean that I do not have trust in Cambodian doctors,” assured the premier on his official Facebook account.

“I also get treatment in Cambodia from Cambodian doctors. However, Cambodian doctors recommended that I get my medical checkup abroad in order to identify some types of diseases that we do not have equipment for.”

The controversy started when, in an interview with the Post’s Khmer-language edition earlier this month, Quach Mengly, an American doctor and director of Mengly J Quach Holding, expressed shock at the behaviour and ethics of Cambodian health care officials, who he said prioritised money over care.

“If poor people go to the hospital, I guarantee that they will sleep on the street,” he said. “The unqualified and unethical medics are the ones who kill people.”

His derisive commentary, while praised by scores of Cambodians on Facebook, elicited a harsh demand for an apology from the Committee of Cambodian Medical Professionals, a grouping of associations within the Ministry of Health, who said Mengly’s statements debased Cambodian doctors and that the government had done much to improve Cambodia’s health care sector.

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/a ... ign=buffer

Who is Quach Mengly?


H.E. Oknha Dr. Mengly J. Quach is the president of the Mengly J. Quach University. The university is the latest addition to Mengly J. Quach Education under Mengly J. Quach Holdings. He founded Mengly J. Quach Holdings in 2005 and is the Chairman and CEO leading three entities (Mengly J. Quach Education, Mengly J. Quach Investments and Mengly J. Quach Health Services) under the holdings.

Dr. Quach defines the university as an English medium university based on US curriculum and education system and standard. He is a medical doctor from the School of Medicine, Spartan Health Sciences University at St. Lucia, acquired another at Sta. Teresa, New Mexico, and a Master of Public Health Practices from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He completed his Pre – Med Studies at the University of California at Berkeley. He worked in academia for four years in the United States and Cambodia serving on faculty of three universities before deciding on Mengly J. Quach Holdings. His last position before the foundation of Mengly J. Quach Holdings was of the Founding Dean and Associate Professor of the College of Public Health at the University of Cambodia. Also having published many articles and papers, he declared Mengly J. Quach University Research Center as a research center of international standard. In addition, one of the many future projects of the Mengly J. Quach holdings includes an international hospital to backup the introduction of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Dentistry departments in the University.

In 2008, he presented two Four – Room school buildings in Kampong Chhnang Province, Cambodia, to the Cambodian Ministry of Education out of his interest in reaching out to the disadvantaged children through education. In 2010, he proved his concerns toward a better future of the community by adopting 136 orphans in Kampong Speu Province, Cambodia, as his grandchilren. Houses, latrines, wells and roads for the community and other charity works through his entities have charged him with a reputation of his own.

His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni had bestowed Dr. Quach two separate Royal Orders of Monisaraphon Thnak Mohasena and an honorary title of Okhna. Other than that, he has been acknowledged worldwide, the latest being the “ Best Manager of the Year in Science and Education Sphere” by European Business Assembly, Oxford, United Kingdom in 2013. The Khmer Youth and Social Development also honored Dr. Quach as the Youth Ambassador in 2013. Some of his current prominent appointments include Advisory Board Member of Junior Chamber International Cambodia, Advisor to the Council of Ministers of the Royal Government of Cambodia, and Advisory Member of the Cambodian Chamber of Commerce.
Dr. Quach lives in the capital city, Phnom Penh; happily married to his wife with two beautiful daughters. He was born in Battambang Province, Cambodia, and educated in the United States.

In one of his speeches made, he once quoted, “I had to stand in lines of hundreds for a notebook and a pencil. Yes, I started from a refugee camp.”

http://mjqeducation.edu.kh/about-us/sen ... ch-md-mph/

Also the owner of AIS (American Intercon School)
http://www.ais.edu.kh/?lng=en

Dr. Quach is also the owner of Thmey Themy news.
Interesting influential guy.

Good for him, lucky HE can fly on a private jet to Singapore for a check up. But do ordinary Khmers care at all, probably not.