At Angkor Hospital for Children, we are fortunate to have the support of passionate volunteers who bring their skills, experience and compassion to help improve the lives of children in Cambodia. One such remarkable volunteer is Peter Keen, a retired biomedical engineer from the UK, who has been contributing his expertise to AHC for over 10 years.
Encouraged by his daughter, who had travelled through Vietnam and Cambodia, Peter came with a desire to help. Peter first arrived at AHC over a decade ago, and immediately noticed the hospital’s need for functional medical equipment.
Over the years, he has returned repeatedly, repairing and restoring essential equipment, writing manuals and developing systems that continue to benefit the hospital long after his visits.
“When I first arrived, there wasn’t a proper workshop,” he recalls. “They showed me a shed full of broken equipment. Some items were already near the end of their life, but I could cannibalise one or two machines to get another working.”
One of Peter’s most lasting contributions is the medical equipment database, a system he created to track every piece of equipment and its spare parts.
“The system allows us to plan ahead and get replacement parts before anything breaks,” he explains. “Shipping parts to Cambodia can take weeks or months, so this helps ensure patient care is never interrupted.”
He has also been instrumental in developing biomedical maintenance manuals and maintenance questionnaire templates, supporting the hospital in maintaining high standards of patient safety. His ongoing work includes training staff and designing procedures for oxygen and medical air systems, critical components in a children’s hospital.
Peter often personally procures tools and spare parts that are difficult to find in Cambodia, usually declining reimbursement. “The joy it brings me is more important than the money spent,” he says. He admires the resourcefulness of the AHC maintenance team: “When they see broken equipment, they never feel defeated—they always try to find a solution.”
Reflecting on his decade at AHC, one moment stands out. During a fire in the hospital’s computer room, Peter helped restore all the data, preventing years of records from being lost. “Ten years later, that moment still stays with me,” he recalls.
As he prepares to leave Cambodia at the end of this month, Peter expresses gratitude and looks forward to returning, and for professionals considering long-term volunteering in healthcare, Peter offers encouragement:
“Siem Reap is a welcoming city. The food, the people, and the culture are wonderful. It’s ideal if you want to do long-term volunteering,” He added. “It has been a great pleasure to work with the team here and provide support. I hope to stay longer next time.”
Thank you, Peter, for your unwavering dedication to AHC and the children we serve. Your contributions continue to make a lasting impact.
