KK Women’s & Children’s Hospital | Partner

KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) was founded in 1858 and is now a regional leader in Obstetrics, Gynaecology, Paediatrics and Neonatology. Today, the 830-bed hospital is a referral centre providing tertiary services to handle high-risk conditions in women and children.

As part of KKH’s mission to lead in excellence, holistic and compassionate care for Women and Children, they have also worked in developing countries in the region, to help raise the medical training standards, and bring comfort to women and children who would otherwise suffer from lack of adequate medical support.

KKH and WAH Foundation have completed one-week midwife training courses in Kampong Chhnang from 2013 to 2015, a collaboration to provide low-cost medical solutions and bring training to over 200 midwives at all 39 health centres and 3 hospitals in the province, in the field of obstetrics and paediatrics.  The collaboration joins WAH Foundation’s on the ground experience, network and knowledge of rural communities, with KKH’s medical expertise and experience in working in midwife training.  The collaboration started in 2013, following over 2 years of research and preparation to provide tailored training and low-cost medical solutions to midwives in Cambodia.   

In July 2014 and May 2015, Professor Kenneth Kwek, CEO of KKH, joined the training, together with and a team of highly experienced doctors and midwives.  In 2014 we invited 10 of the most experienced midwives to return from the training the year before.  These midwives started to become trainers during the week, the beginning of a "train the trainer program for long term sustainability of midwife training.  In November 2014 four doctors and midwives, including Dr.Prak Vonn, Director of Kampong Chhnang provincial health department, came to Singapore on a scholarship scheme to train with KKH for one week.  This initiative was arranged to strengthen the training and show the midwives and doctors the methods used at KKH.

WAH Foundation invested in a range of training aids for the training facility, for practical training, on the ground, in Kampong Chhnang provincial health department premises.  These training aids are used by the local midwife training teams.  We also provided 3 medical kits to each of the 40 health centres and 3 hospitals.  One kit is for eclampsia, one for bleeding, and one is a birthing kit.  The kits are replenished every month, by Sam Maly, our in house midwife who acts as a liaison between KKH, WAH Foundation, and the provincial health department.  

We are actively monitoring the impact of statistics from all 42 health centres and 3 hospitals, on mortality rates for birthing mothers.  The nationwide average for deaths in mothers during birth is around 190 per 100,000.  In Kampong Chhnang over the last 3 years, the number has dropped to 58, therefore showing a substantial improvement since we started the training.

Pediatric training program

We initiated a pediatric training program end of February 2016, concentrating on dehydration, respiratory and hygiene.  KKH teams, headed by the Prof. Ng Kee Chong have focused on key teaching practices, including the use of rice water to give to children with diarrhoea, to help hydrate them, and the use of air nebulisers. We are aiming to achieve a significant drop in the mortality rate in children, by the same 70% we have achieved with mothers giving birth. To date over 100 pediatric staff have been trained.