KAMPOT, Cambodia, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Phou Lika, a 10-year-old primary school student here in southwestern Cambodia, was a bit shocked on Thursday after doctors from the China-backed Mekong children's heart care project conducted a heart diagnosis mission at her school and found that she had congenital heart disease (CHD) from birth.
Dressed in a common school uniform of a white shirt paired with a blue skirt, Lika looks pale, thin and fatigued. She has the symptoms of bluish lips, extreme tiredness during activity, and shortness of breath, but she has never known that she has CHD because her parents have never had her heart checked up due to poverty.
Lika said she was elated as she would receive free treatment after the disease was detected.
"I feel a bit shocked, but brave to challenge it," she told Xinhua. "I have confidence and hope the doctors can treat my disease."
Lika believed that the Mekong children's heart care project would give her a new healthy life after treatment.
"I would like to thank the Chinese and Cambodian doctors for coming to treat Cambodian children for free of charge," she said.
Launched on March 30, the project is being implemented by the Mekong Institute, in close partnership with the Ministries of Health of Cambodia and Laos, with technical support from the Fuwai Hospital under the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.
Lasting until 2027, the project is expected to reach around 50,000 children, support treatment for at least 70 children, and train over 235 medical professionals in both Cambodia and Laos.
Touch Khun, deputy director of the Cambodia-China Friendship Preah Kossamak Hospital, said early detection and timely diagnosis are essential to save the lives of children born with CHD.
"We visited four primary schools in Kampot province this Thursday morning, and found that two children have congenital heart disease," he told Xinhua.
Khun said the patients would be treated at the Cambodia-China Friendship Preah Kossamak Hospital in Phnom Penh or at the Fuwai Hospital in China, depending on disease conditions.
"The screening, diagnosis and treatment for children with CHD from birth is free of charge," he said. "This project is crucial to save the lives of Cambodian children."
Long Chanpheaktra, a representative of the school health office at the Kampot provincial department of education, youth and sport, said she was pleased to see the project being carried out in the province.
"This project is really important for the health of children across the country, including those in Kampot province, as those who have heart problems will receive proper treatment from qualified doctors," she told Xinhua.
Sorn Saron, principal of the Hun Sen Wat Troeuy Koh Primary School in Kampot town, where Lika was detected with CHD, said he was delighted that the medical team from China came to check the heart health of teachers and students in Cambodia.
"This outreach project is very important because sometimes, parents do not know whether their children have CHD or not, so when the doctors come to screen their children's hearts like this, they can know," he told Xinhua.
He expressed his sincere gratitude to China for funding the project, which is very important to save the lives of children with CHD in the Southeast Asian country.
Sok Chour, an advisor to Cambodia's Ministry of Health and deputy director general for health, said it is estimated that Cambodia has approximately 3,000 to 4,000 children born with heart disease every year.
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