More pictures here.
Top: Dr. John Pfeffer of Modesto at center performs a surgery in Cambodia assisted by doctors from that country.
Bottom: Dr. Seang Seng of Modesto is pictured in Cambodia.
Tuesday, Mar. 20, 2012
By Ken Carlson
kcarlson@modbee.com
Dr. Seang Seng of Modesto was pleased to bring health care to the people of Cambodia during a recent medical mission.
About 6,200 people from his native country received care, but the trip last month also could lead to a cross-cultural training opportunity for residents in the Valley Family Medicine Residency in Stanislaus County.
Seng is trying to establish a training site in Cambodia so that medical residents from Modesto can learn about the cultural barriers to providing Western-style medicine to patients from Southeast Asia.
The training would better equip the new doctors to care for Central Valley patients who came as immigrants from that region.
"The Central Valley is a microcosm of the world," said Dr. Peter Broderick, program director of the family medicine residency in Modesto. "It's important for our residents to recognize that and be more humble about the Western model of health care."
Seng survived the killing fields of the Pol Pot regime from 1975 to 1979. After fleeing Cambodia, he completed his medical education in Hawaii and has worked in Stanislaus County's health clinics since 1988, dispensing medicine for Modesto's refugee population.
He and four others — Dr. John Pfeffer, an obstetrician; Dr. John Chan, an anesthesiologist; pharmacist Helen Noh; and Seng's wife, Kimly — went on the 10-day mission organized by the Cambodian Health Professionals Association of America.
About 90 volunteers set up medical and dental clinics in the city of Koh Kong in southwestern Cambodia, providing care to 6,000 people who didn't otherwise have access to doctors. Prosthetics were fitted for patients who lost limbs during the war years.
The Stanislaus County group traveled to the smaller city of Takeo, where they treated about 200 patients for infectious diseases, high blood pressure, ulcers and other ills.
They delivered a baby by C-section, removed a uterine tumor from a patient and performed three other procedures in Takeo's provincial hospital.
The mission allowed Cambodian doctors to learn improved techniques by watching the American team, Seng said. Surgeons in Cambodia earn from $200 to $300 a month, he noted.
Seng shared his ideas for a training site with an official from the country's only medical school, in Phnom Penh.
He envisions residents from Stanislaus County spending two to four weeks working with patients in outpatient clinics in Cambodia. Those interested in international medicine would participate, paying their own way for the training, Seng said.
"You want to be culturally competent to take care of these people," Seng said. "They have different attitudes and beliefs than us. If you understand the culture, hopefully it will translate into better care for these patients."
Seng said patients from the region are symptom-oriented. If they don't feel pain, they may see no reason to have regular mammograms or take pills for high blood pressure.
Surgery often is viewed as a last resort.
"They tend to see the illness as fate and believe nothing can be done for them," Seng said. "Some believe their illness is a curse and they need to go to the monks in the temple."
Seng said he's careful to respect the religious beliefs of patients. Sometimes, he has to negotiate with patients who hold deeply ingrained cultural views about health, such as belief in the cold and heat balance of the human body.
Expectant mothers may drink wine because they see pregnancy as a cold condition, Seng said. It makes it more difficult to convince them that alcohol consumption raises the risk of birth defects.
The recent mission was Seng's fourth trip to Cambodia since 1998. It could take a year or more to establish the training site, he said.
The faculty and residents in Stanislaus County's residency program also have made visits to Mexico and Central America, Africa, India, Burma and the Philippines. The residents collectively speak more than 20 languages, Broderick said.
Bee staff writer Ken Carlson can be reached at kcarlson@modbee.com or (209) 578-2321.
Bottom: Dr. Seang Seng of Modesto is pictured in Cambodia.
Tuesday, Mar. 20, 2012
By Ken Carlson
kcarlson@modbee.com
Dr. Seang Seng of Modesto was pleased to bring health care to the people of Cambodia during a recent medical mission.
About 6,200 people from his native country received care, but the trip last month also could lead to a cross-cultural training opportunity for residents in the Valley Family Medicine Residency in Stanislaus County.
Seng is trying to establish a training site in Cambodia so that medical residents from Modesto can learn about the cultural barriers to providing Western-style medicine to patients from Southeast Asia.
The training would better equip the new doctors to care for Central Valley patients who came as immigrants from that region.
"The Central Valley is a microcosm of the world," said Dr. Peter Broderick, program director of the family medicine residency in Modesto. "It's important for our residents to recognize that and be more humble about the Western model of health care."
Seng survived the killing fields of the Pol Pot regime from 1975 to 1979. After fleeing Cambodia, he completed his medical education in Hawaii and has worked in Stanislaus County's health clinics since 1988, dispensing medicine for Modesto's refugee population.
He and four others — Dr. John Pfeffer, an obstetrician; Dr. John Chan, an anesthesiologist; pharmacist Helen Noh; and Seng's wife, Kimly — went on the 10-day mission organized by the Cambodian Health Professionals Association of America.
About 90 volunteers set up medical and dental clinics in the city of Koh Kong in southwestern Cambodia, providing care to 6,000 people who didn't otherwise have access to doctors. Prosthetics were fitted for patients who lost limbs during the war years.
The Stanislaus County group traveled to the smaller city of Takeo, where they treated about 200 patients for infectious diseases, high blood pressure, ulcers and other ills.
They delivered a baby by C-section, removed a uterine tumor from a patient and performed three other procedures in Takeo's provincial hospital.
The mission allowed Cambodian doctors to learn improved techniques by watching the American team, Seng said. Surgeons in Cambodia earn from $200 to $300 a month, he noted.
Seng shared his ideas for a training site with an official from the country's only medical school, in Phnom Penh.
He envisions residents from Stanislaus County spending two to four weeks working with patients in outpatient clinics in Cambodia. Those interested in international medicine would participate, paying their own way for the training, Seng said.
"You want to be culturally competent to take care of these people," Seng said. "They have different attitudes and beliefs than us. If you understand the culture, hopefully it will translate into better care for these patients."
Seng said patients from the region are symptom-oriented. If they don't feel pain, they may see no reason to have regular mammograms or take pills for high blood pressure.
Surgery often is viewed as a last resort.
"They tend to see the illness as fate and believe nothing can be done for them," Seng said. "Some believe their illness is a curse and they need to go to the monks in the temple."
Seng said he's careful to respect the religious beliefs of patients. Sometimes, he has to negotiate with patients who hold deeply ingrained cultural views about health, such as belief in the cold and heat balance of the human body.
Expectant mothers may drink wine because they see pregnancy as a cold condition, Seng said. It makes it more difficult to convince them that alcohol consumption raises the risk of birth defects.
The recent mission was Seng's fourth trip to Cambodia since 1998. It could take a year or more to establish the training site, he said.
The faculty and residents in Stanislaus County's residency program also have made visits to Mexico and Central America, Africa, India, Burma and the Philippines. The residents collectively speak more than 20 languages, Broderick said.
Bee staff writer Ken Carlson can be reached at kcarlson@modbee.com or (209) 578-2321.
2 comments:
ការចំណាយពេលវេលាជួយដល់បងប្អូនយើងនៅក្នុងស្រុកមានតម្លៃនឹងសារះសំខាន់បំផុតក្នុងជីវិតរបស់លោក។
Good job, Dr. Seng!
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