MercyCare’s Aged Care Services recently donated hospital beds that are no longer in use, to an innovative and life-changing international project in the south-east Asian country of Cambodia.
Coordinated by the Rotary Club of Osborne Park, a total of 28 hospital beds, previously utilised by MercyCare Residential Aged Care homes, are being transported to a regional hospital in Kampong Speu, a town approximately 56km away from Cambodia’s capital city Phnom Penh.
The beds have been sourced from our Residential Aged Care homes in Joondalup, Wembley, Kelmscott and Rockingham. All the beds are in excellent working condition, and importantly, the electrical system controlling each bed is compatible with Cambodia’s infrastructure.
Eric Leong, part of MercyCare’s Property and Procurement team expressed his commitment to finding a sustainable solution for disposing the beds, when it came time to replace them.
“I didn’t want to just throw away the existing beds, which were still in such good condition, so I did some research and found this incredible Rotary initiative sending hospital equipment to Cambodia. I knew it was the perfect second life for ours.”
The Rotary Club of Osborne Park has been collecting and sending hospital and medical equipment to Cambodia for nearly a decade. Since 2021 they have been working with philanthropic partners to construct and equip two operating theatres for the hospital, enabling 140-150 operations per month to take place. MercyCare’s donation will be used in the post-operative recovery area, which is currently under development.
Our contribution adds to the collective efforts of various Western Australian organisations supporting this project, with the hospital equipment and supplies for the operating theatres being provided by St John of God Hospital Subiaco, Fremantle Hospital and South Perth Hospital.
The beds are expected to take 4 – 6 weeks to arrive in Cambodia and be set up in their new home!
