Profile

Beat Richner was born in Zurich on March 13, 1947. After receiving his medical degree in 1973 he specialised 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.

In December 1991 Dr. Richner was asked by the Cambodian government to rebuild and manage the Kantha Bopha Children's Hospital, which had been destroyed during the war; once again, his life took a sudden turn, he accepted the job. In March 1992 he created a foundation in Zurich, moved to Phnom Penh and began with the actual reconstruction work.

1995 the hospital Kantha Bopha I became overcrowded, with more than 1,000 outpatients every day and over 350 hospitalisations. King Norodom Sihanouk offered land at his Royal Palace in Phnom Penh to build a new hospital.

On March 9th 1998 land was donated by Hun Sen, 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 Siemreap near the temple of Angkor.

At the inauguration of the Jayavarman VII Children's Hospital in Siem Reap, Samdech Hun Sen, prime minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, announced in the presence of King Norodom Sihanouk that the government would give additional land for the 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.

 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%.

An extension at the Jayavarman VII hospital in Siem Reap was inauguratd by Dr. Beat Richner in the presence of King Norodom Sihamoni and Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen. The extension is already in use.

Public Hospitals