Every child — rich or poor — deserves to be healthy.
75% of people in Cambodia live in rural areas (World Bank, 2020)
A child born in Cambodia is five times more likely to die before their fifth birthday than a child born in a wealthy country (World Bank, 2020)
During the Khmer Rouge, Cambodia lost an entire generation of health workers. Only 25 doctors survived (World Health Organization, 2015)
One in five Cambodians survive on less than US$2.70 a day (World Bank, 2020)
Children from the poorest families in Cambodia are three times more likely to die early than children from wealthier families (Ministry of Health Cambodia, 2015)
Leading causes of death are complications at birth, pneumonia, birth defects, diarrhoea and malaria — all preventable or treatable (World Health Organization, 2020)
Civil war broke out in the late 1960s in Cambodia, culminating with the Khmer Rouge regime seizing power in 1975. In the four years that followed, an estimated 1.5 million Cambodians were killed. The educated classes were targeted, and the World Health Organization estimates only 25 medical doctors survived (2015).
The country experienced significant unrest and civil war until the early 1990s. After decades of violence, the healthcare system collapsed — subjecting the Cambodian people to more suffering. Over one in ten children born in 1990 died before their fifth birthday (116 deaths per 1000 births) (World Bank, 2022).
More than 30 years ago, acclaimed Japanese photographer Kenro Izu visited Siem Reap to photograph the temples of Angkor.
Shocked by the post-war poverty and state of healthcare, he vowed to open a hospital that would ensure any child could get the health care they needed.
AHC’s gates first opened as a hospital with just three Cambodian doctors, ten nurses and one bed.
With the support of medical volunteers from around the world, generous donors and a dedicated team, AHC is still saving lives over 20 years later.
One of the first doctors, Dr Ngoun Chanpheaktra, now leads the organisation.
Every child in Cambodia gets quality compassionate health care, wherever they live and whatever their ability to pay.
Improve health care for every child in Cambodia.
We act with compassion, listen deeply and show the respect and care we’d want for our family and ourselves.
We offer the best possible quality care with a commitment to constant improvement.
We take pride in maintaining our expertise and are generous with our learning.
We’re honest, open and take responsibility for our actions — integrity underpins our work.
AHC is a leader in providing the highest quality complimentary care for vulnerable and neglected children stuck in poverty. AHC will continue to work with the government to bring Cambodia’s quality of medical and healthcare to that of developed nations.
Dr Ngoun Chanpheaktra, Hospital Director & CEO
25 years since our founding, healthcare in Cambodia has improved a lot.
So, AHC has changed too.
Now we focus on providing care that isn’t commonly found in Cambodia.
