Swiss children’s doctor who worked in Cambodia dies
Swiss children’s doctor and musician Beat Richner set up a network of hospitals in Cambodia.
Keystone
Beat Richner, a Swiss paediatric doctor and cellist famous for his work in Cambodia, has died at the age of 71 after a serious illness, his foundation said on Sunday.
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Zurich-born Richner, also well known in Switzerland by his nickname of Beatocello, moved to Phnom Penh in 1992, where he rebuilt the Kantha Bopha children’s hospital at the request of Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk after the civil war.
He was honoured in Cambodia last year for his work treating sick children for free. Beat RichnerExternal link regularly gave concerts in Switzerland to present his work in Cambodia and raise money for it.
His illness had however obliged him to hand over the management of the children’s hospitals to his deputy Peter Studer.
Beat Richner as a student in 1969. He was president of the small student council at the University of Zurich, Switzerland. (Keystone)
Keystone
Beat Richner had many strings on his bow. Alter-ego “Beatocello” was one of them, shown here during the International Year of the Child in 1979. (Keystone/Susann Schimert-Ramme)
Keystone/Susann Schimert-Ramme
Beat Richner being awarded the Adele Duttweiler Prize in Rüschlikon, Switzerland, on October 26, 1994. Pictured with Mario Bonorand, left, and Ulrich K. Hochstrasser of the foundation committee. (Keystone/Willi Helfenberger)
Keystone/Willi Helfenberger
Beat Richner examining a child at the Jayavarman VII Children’s Hospital in February 2001. The Zurich paediatrician opened the hospital in Siem Reap in March 1999. (Keystone/Gary Kieffer)
Keystone/Gary Kieffer
Beat Richner observes the construction of the children’s hospital, Jayavarman VII, in Siem Reap in March 1999. (Keystone/Gary Kieffer)
Keystone/Gary Kieffer
Beat Richner shows Britain’s Princess Anne the maternity ward of the Kantha Bopha Hospital of Hope in Siem Reap in 2002. The hospital, funded by donations from Switzerland, was built on land donated by King Norodom Sihanouk. (AP/Andy Eames)
Keystone
Beat Richner with former Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey during her tour of the children’s hospital in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in 2007. (AP/Heng Sinith)
Keystone
People lining up for free medical treatment at the Kantha Bopha (Jayavarman VII) Children’s Hospital in Siem Reap near Angkor Wat, Cambodia, on December 25, 2008.
EyesWideOpen/Getty Images
Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni, right, greets Beat Richner during the hospital inauguration ceremony in Phnom Penh in 2007. Looking on is Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. (Photo/Heng Sinith)
Keystone
Banners over a street in Siem Reap request money and blood donations for the children’s hospital Jayavarman VII in 2002. (Keystone/Gary Kieffer)
Keystone
Mothers with their babies sit in the waiting room of the children’s hospital (Jayavarman VII) in Siem Reap, Cambodia, in 2012. (swissinfo.ch/Frédéric Burnand)
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Swiss children’s doctor honoured by Cambodian king
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The sustainable continuation of the Kantha Bopha hospitalsExternal link, which treat sick children for free, is of great importance for Cambodia’s health system, said King Norodom Sihamoni on Wednesday at a ceremony for the 25th anniversary of the hospitals. Zurich-born Richner, also well known in Switzerland by his nickname of Beatocello, sadly could not be…
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Beat Richner, also well known in Switzerland under his nickname of Beatocello, gives a concert every Thursday and Saturday evening in the Kantha Bopha hospital in the northwestern town of Siem Reap, close to the World Heritage site of Angkor Wat. “Health is the main reason why poor families become ruined. By providing completely free…
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In 2003, Swiss Radio International, the predecessor of swissinfo.ch, interviewed Beat Richner about his work and why his nickname was “Beatocello”.
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.