From donating bed sheets to ambulances, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is committed to improving health care worldwide as part of its mission to care for those in need.
Read about recent donations from the Church to hospitals and health care organizations in Cambodia, Guam, Mongolia and the Philippines.
Cambodia
In the Takéo province in Cambodia, the Church helped build a new maternity wing at the Thlea Prachum Health Center. The addition includes a new delivery room adjacent to a recovery room, significantly improving maternity care for the estimated 6,000 women the health center serves. The wing was unveiled on Dec. 12, 2023, with health care staff, local dignitaries and representatives from the Church in attendance.
In the Kampong Cham province, the Church donated two ambulances to hospitals in the area. The ambulances arrived at the province’s headquarters on Dec. 19, 2023. “Our ambulances were so old they were always breaking down and we weren’t able to service the patients well,” said Sarak Mony, vice director of Kampong Cham Provincial Health Department. “These new ambulances will be a great addition.”
On Jan. 11, the Phnom Penh Municipal Health Department organized a ceremony recognizing medical equipment donations and facility renovations by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at eight hospitals in Phnom Penh over the past year. His Excellency Mr. Imran Hassan, deputy governor of Phnom Penh, presented certificates of appreciation to Church representatives involved with this project.
Each of these donations is part of the ongoing Cambodia Health Improvement Effort, which was initiated in 2018 by the Asia Area presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Working in collaboration with government and healthcare leaders, the effort provides training, equipment and construction projects in Cambodia.
Guam
The Church recently donated a cargo van to the Todu Guam Foundation to be used as a mobile clinic. The van will help the foundation provide medical services to underserved individuals in hard-to-reach places on the island, particularly those who have not been able to access health care due to a lack of transportation.
The Philippines
The Tondo Medical Center near Manila received a donation from the Church of infant care equipment on Nov. 7, 2023. The equipment includes two neonatal incubators, two stainless pediatric cribs, two full-sized hospital beds, two blood pressure apparatus with trolley stands, three medical-grade pulse oximeters and a patient monitor.
Mongolia
During the last few months, the Church has donated equipment to hospitals in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. A general hospital of the Bayanzurkh District Medical Center received kitchen equipment to serve healthy food to its employees and patients; the National Center for Maternal and Child Health received equipment for newborn care; and several other maternity hospitals and general hospitals in the area received urgently needed items such as oxygen machines, fetal monitors, mattresses, bed sheets, blankets and drip trays.
In collaboration with the General Agency for Development of Persons with Disabilities in Mongolia, the Church donated 300 wheelchairs to those in need on Nov. 14, 2023. The Church has donated more than 7,000 wheelchairs in Mongolia during the almost 30 years since the wheelchair project began, according to a Church news release from the country.
