'Scavenger' Woman Dies From Lack of Medical Care

CEOCambodiaNews · Post by **CEOCambodiaNews** » Mon Sep 14, 2020 4:53 pm

Another tale of everyday poverty in Cambodia:

Cambodia News, Phnom Penh: A woman who picks up scrap metal, cuts herself almost half a month ago, and because she had no money to go for treatment, she died in a miserable rented room, causing a surprise at 7 pm on September 13, 2020, along the road Concrete Prey Prey Khang Cheung 1 Village, Sangkat Choam Chao III, Khan Por Senchey, Phnom Penh.

Victim name: Srey Leak, female, 26 years old, occupation: scavenger, living in Prey Pring Khang Cheung 1 village, Sangkat Choam Chao III, Khan Por Senchey, Phnom Penh, hometown: Stung Treng province.

The victim's husband, Un Makara, alias Akhmao, male, 20 years old, is a scavenger living in Prey Pring Khang Cheung 1 village, Sangkat Choam Chao III, Khan Por Senchey, his hometown is Samrong village, Kbal Trach commune, Pursat province.

The husband said that before the incident, his wife had stabbed her left leg about two weeks before. With no medical care, she became ill. He also has diabetes and high blood pressure due to lack of money to go for treatment, which causes him to have pain in his arms and legs and become weaker and weaker.
At 3 pm on September 13, 2020, the husband went out to pick up scrap metal, leaving his wife alone in the rented room upstairs. He says: "At 7 pm on September 13, 2020, I returned to my rented house and suddenly saw my wife all white with her eyes rolled back, so I called my neighbors to help but they could not. Then my wife died, and I reported to the police at the 3rd Chao Chao Post to intervene." He added that they have been living together for almost a year, but have not been married officially.

After the department examined the body, due to the lack of livelihood, the husband had no money for his wife's funeral, so the body was taken to the pagoda to wait for relatives, but if not found, the authorities will hand it over to the abbot for the cremation.
RIP

epidemiks · Post by **epidemiks** » Mon Sep 14, 2020 8:00 pm

Sad. Aren't district medial centres free of charge?

He has diabetes and high blood pressure and they buy him an energy drink..

John Bingham · Post by **John Bingham** » Mon Sep 14, 2020 9:36 pm

epidemiks wrote: ↑Mon Sep 14, 2020 8:00 pm Sad. Aren't district medial centres free of charge?

In theory they are but in practice they will bill you and then there's the medicine to pay for.
Some scavengers have serious mental problems and substance issues so people are reluctant to deal with them and they keep away to themselves.
The scavengers have been having a difficult time recently, there's reduced consumption and less to scavenge but there's also a bigger problem.
Exporting has become more difficult so the depots who buy the recyclables are giving far less per kilo than they did a year ago.