About Dr. Pao Sovanuin

Doctor Pao Sovanuin’s work at the Battambang referral centre provides 425 people with Anti-Retro-Viral drugs and treats 1,025 people for the Opportune Infections (OI) that those with weakened immune systems pick up. Even though the government provides Anti-Retro-Virals for free, Dr. Pao Sovanuin knows that without the kind of connections with the community that DCWO provides, the drugs would be useless.

“Many of the people in these communities are illiterate and we don’t have the capacity to go to all the communities, we are medical staff. It is very important that organisations like DCWO continue to do this kind of work and support us.

"Without this support it is very hard for poor people to survive. Often they will have to go to Thailand in search of work to support their families, and when they do this they cannot get the care and treatment they need.”

More schemes like DCWO - which forge invaluable links between medical professionals and communities - are desperately needed, and can only be made possible by a regular commitment of funds. Already, Dr. Pao Sovanuin says that he has had to turn down treatment to people living with HIV and AIDS because they do not have enough drugs or staff to treat people from neighboring regions.

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