CEO of Kantha Bopha Children's Hospital Dies, 73
07/05/20 21:46

Phnom Penh (FN), May 7 – Chief Executive Officer of Foundation of Kantha Bopha Children's Hospital Peter Studer died on 6 May 2020 in Switzerland at the age of 73 due to illness, according to Kantha Bopha Hospitals’ condolence letter dated Thursday.

Peter Studer assumed the CEO post on 28 March 2017 when Dr. Beat Richner, the founder of Kantha Bopha Foundation, had serious health problem. Dr. Richner passed away at the age of 71 in Zurich on 9 September 2018.
=FRESH NEWS
RIP.

saved my neighbor's kids life a few times

RIP

Beat Richner and Peter Studer (both Swiss) were two of the most inspiring persons of the last 100 years on a global scale. They have litterally saved thousands and thousands of khmer kids providing world class free healthacare in nearly impossible environment. There are no words that can express their merit.

news from the swiss site (at the moment german only): https://www.beat-richner.ch/post/dr-med ... assed-away

some info about Kantha Bopha Childrens Hospital and its founders:

During the 25 years of his work, his hospitals treated 15.4 million outpatients and 1.7 million seriously ill children as inpatients. FREE OF CHARGE. The Kantha Bopha hospitals take care of about 85% of all sick children in Cambodia. 80% of the seriously ill and hospitalzed children would not have a chance of survival without those hospitals

How it began: Beat Richner was born in Zurich on 13 March 1947

After receiving his medical degree in 1973 he specialized in paediatrics at the Zurich Children's Hospital. In 1974/75 he was sent to Cambodia by the Swiss Red Cross (SRC) to work at the Kantha Bopha Children's Hospital. His mission came to an abrupt end when the Khmer Rouge invaded the country. Dr. Richner was forced to return to Switzerland, where he took up his former position at the Zurich Children's Hospital.

1991 Kantha Bopha I,the first hospital

In December 1991 Dr. Richner was asked by the King Norodom Sihanouk and the Cambodian government to rebuild and manage the Kantha Bopha Children's Hospital, which had been destroyed during the war; once again, his life had taken a sudden turn, and he accepted the job. In March 1992 he created a foundation in Zurich, moved to Phnom Penh and began with the reconstruction work. On 2 November 1992 Kantha Bopha Children's Hospital was back in operation. Over the following years the hospital was progressively extended and modified to meet the most urgent needs of its patients. Kantha Bopha is the name of King Sihanouk's beloved daugther, who died of leukemia in 1952 at the age of 3.

1995 Kantha Bopha II,the second hospital

In 1995 the hospital Kantha Bopha 1 became overcrowded, with more than 1,000 outpatients every day and over 350 hospitalizations. King Norodom Sihanouk offered land at his Royal Palace in Phnom Penh to build a new hospital. On 12 October 1996 the second Children's Hospital was inaugurated in the presence of King Norodom Sihanouk and Jean-Pascal Delamuraz, President of the Federal Council of Switzerland..

1999 Jayavarman VII,the third hospital

On 9 March 1998 land was donated by HE, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, on the initiative of H.E. Cham Prasidh, Minister of Commerce, to build a third children's hospital in Siem Reap, near the temple of Angkor. Dr. Beat Richner's third children's hospital opened on 31 March 1999 as an annex of Kantha Bopha I and II. As in the other hospitals, treatment remains free of charge for every child. It has a large prevention and health education center, a large outpatient station and extensive facilities for inpatient care and the proper treatment of very sick children whose lives are in danger. The design of the hospital was the result of seven years’ experience running the Kantha Bopha Children's Hospital in Phnom Penh. It serves as a global model of how to build and organize a hospital facing similar conditions.

2004 Kantha Bopha IV,the fourth hospital

By 2004 the Kantha Bopha I hospital in Phnom Penh had become too small and two of its three buildings were in a very bad and dangerous condition. Without a new building, Kantha Bopha I could not function any longer. The construction of a new hospital started on 3 August 2004 after some land adjacent to the Wat Phnom was bought. The new Kantha Bopha IV children's hospital was inaugurated on 29 December 2005 by King Sihamoni and Prime Minister HE.

The hospital has 555 beds, 4 surgical operating rooms, two intensive care units, a fully equipped laboratory with a blood bank, an imaging department (an x-ray, 4 ultrasounds and a CT scanner) a large pharmacy, an outpatient station and a prevention center. The total costs of building this Hospital was 15 million USD. Beat Richner asked the Swiss people to contribute by donating a twenty-franc note each (Aktion Zwänzger Nötli 2004). This campaign collected enough money to finalize this undertaking. The campaign was supported by schoolchildren and people all over Switzerland.

2007 Kantha Bopha V,The latest hospital in Phnom Penh

Soon after the inauguration of Kantha Bopha IV, the hospital became overcrowded and in 2006 the amount of hospitalized patients in Phnom Penh had increased by 50%. It was decided to build Kantha Bopha V, which was inaugurated on 28 December 2007 in the presence of his Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni together with Samdech HE and high ranking members of the royal government of Cambodia.

2018 End of a era

On 9 September 2018 Beat Richner passed away after a serious illness. He leaves behind a legacy of extraordinary, unparalleled, successful, and sustainable lifetime achievements that deserve the greatest admiration. Peter Studer, founding member of Kantha Bopha Hospitals took over as a CEO until he passed away on may 6th 2020.

RIP and good luck to Kantha Bopha Children's Hospital. I also have a friend whose kid was saved thanks to them.

RIP to both of them. They saved so many.

But clouds over funding Kantha Bopha had been looming before Beat Ritchner’s death. Big donors and nations shifted their funding from big hospitals in the cities to health care in the provinces and villages. This trend has only accelerated after his death. The government has not stepped in fill this gap.

His Majesty the King Extends Condolences over Passing of Vice-President of Kantha Bopha Children's Hospital Foundation
May 10, 2020 --

His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah Boromneath Norodom Sihamoni, King of Cambodia, has expressed his deep sadness and sincere condolences over the sudden passing away of Dr. Peter Studer, Vice President of the Kantha Bopha Children's Hospital Foundation Dr. med. Beat Richner.

"He was a great Humanitarian of Cambodia and had continued for almost three decades to look after, alongside late Doctor Beat Richner and after his premature departure, all the Cambodian children in the best conditions. His infallible courage and determination to maintain and develop the work of the Founder of Kantha Bopha Children's Hospitals aroused respect, admiration, and consideration of the Cambodian people," wrote on May 9 the monarch in a royal letter to Dr. iur. René Schwarzenbach, President of the Kantha Bopha Children's Hospital Foundation Dr. med. Beat Richner and to Dr. biol. Denis Laurent, COO, Phnom Penh.

"I pay tribute to Doctor Peter Studer, a great and faithful friend of the Kingdom of Cambodia and its people," added His Majesty the King.

"Her Majesty the Queen-Mother joins me in extending our sincere condolences to his wife Madame Geneviève F. Cattin-Studer and to the family of the illustrious deceased," said the Cambodian monarch.
- AKP