Tzu Chi Holds Large-Scale Free Medical Clinic in Cambodia’s Takeo Province

From May 30 to June 1, 2025, the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation (BTCF) conducted a large-scale free clinic in Takeo Province, Cambodia, in collaboration with local partners and volunteer medical teams from Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Cambodia. Held at the Prey Kabas Referral Hospital, the clinic provided services in five departments—internal medicine, surgery, dentistry, traditional Chinese medicine, and ophthalmology— benefiting a total of 3,701 patient visits over three days.

Cambodia’s rural healthcare, especially in provinces like Takeo, remains limited, with only 1.4 health workers per 1,000 people and most doctors concentrated in Phnom Penh. High out-of-pocket expenses, around 55% of health expenditures, further limit access for rural populations. While the government is improving infrastructure, training, and financial support programs like Health Equity Funds to boost care quality and affordability, mobile clinics from NGOs like Tzu Chi play a vital role in providing free medical services, helping to address healthcare gaps in underserved areas.

Volunteers from 5 countries began mobilizing as early as May 27. On May 29, the Singapore team departed for Cambodia with 31 boxes of medical equipment and supplies, including dental materials purchased locally due to shortages in Cambodia. That same day, medical teams from Tzu Chi’s hospitals held a pre-departure orientation. In the evening, 23 Malaysian volunteers departed from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to join the mission. On May 30, the Tzu Chi Eye Center team from the Philippines arrived, ready to perform over 100 cataract and pterygium surgeries. Local Cambodian partners, including The Samdech Techo Voluntary Youth Doctor Association (TYDA), were already on-site to support the effort.

Each case was approached not only with medical expertise but also deep empathy. Pum Nget, who had suffered from uncontrollable tremors for over ten years, saw significant improvement after three days of acupuncture and Tui Na therapy by Malaysia’s Dr. Wang, who also trained his wife in home care. Ra Pisey, unable to afford dental treatment, received root canal therapy and restorative dental care from Singapore’s Dr. Tang Kok Rong, relieving six months of tooth pain and restoring her confidence. During the clinic, Dr. Tang experienced sudden chest pain but was quickly assessed with an ECG by a fellow physician, confirming no heart or lung issues. Despite the pain, he insisted on continuing to provide dental care until the mission’s conclusion. Young mother Lim Siv Mey brought her two-year-old daughter for treatment of severe seborrheic dermatitis; after multiple ineffective hospital visits and harmful traditional remedies, she was relieved to receive a proper diagnosis and effective treatment, giving her hope for her daughter’s recovery.

Throughout the three-day mission, a total of 933 volunteer shifts supported 3,701 patient visits. Internal medicine treated 1,657 patients, dentistry cared for 757, Traditional Chinese Medicine served 901, ophthalmology attended to 230, and 156 surgeries were performed. The mission concluded with a wheelchair donation to Prey Kabas Referral Hospital and a traditional Khmer dance, as medical staff and volunteers celebrated a message of healing and unity. This marked Tzu Chi’s sixth large-scale free clinic in Cambodia since 2017.

The large-scale clinics were initiated after Tzu Chi provided relief to survivors of the large-scale flooding in the country in 2016 when two-thirds of Cambodia’s provinces were hit by floods, and are defined by their multinational medical collaboration and their service to thousands of patients. Previous large-scale clinics were held in Kampong Cham province (Chamkar Leu, 2017), Kampong Chhnang province (Kampong Tralach, 2018), Takeo province (Prey Kabbas, March 2019), Battambang province (Ek Phnom, November 2019, Krong Battambang and Bavel, November 2024).

This impactful mission reflects Tzu Chi’s longstanding commitment to Cambodia, which began with disaster relief efforts after drought and flooding in 1994. Although operations paused in 1997 due to political unrest, they resumed in response to the severe flood crisis in 2011, and have since steadily expanded outreach into provinces like Takeo, addressing the country’s ongoing healthcare needs through compassion and sustained presence.

The Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation is a global non-profit humanitarian organization founded in 1966 by Buddhist nun Dharma Master Cheng Yen. Its missions of medicine, charity, education, and humanistic culture have brought relief to 136 countries. The heart of Tzu Chi is embedded in its name: in Chinese, “Tzu” means compassion and “Chi” relief, to relieve the suffering of those in need while creating a better world for all through compassion, love and hope. For more information and media inquiries, please visit tzuchi.us.