APSIG Special Interest Group > Become APSIG Involved > APSIG Volunteer Assignments and Fundraising > Asia-Pacific Elekta Prize > Snapshots from Cambodia
Nikki Shelton
Radiation Oncology Medical Physicist
A year of volunteering in Cambodia.
In November 2017, my family and I embarked on a 12 month volunteer assignment that was the product of a partnership between the ACPSEM Asia Pacific Special Interest Group (APSIG) and the DFAT funded Australian Volunteers Program (AVP).
My brief was to provide radiotherapy physics training at Calmette Hospital in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
This project was proposed after members of APSIG established a strong relationship with The National Cancer Centre (NCC) at Calmette starting in 2016. This provided me with invaluable insight and a strong platform from which to further strengthen ties as trust is a very important part of Cambodian culture.
In a letter addressed to the Australian Aid Friendship Grants last year, the Head of the NCC wrote:
“the ongoing support provided to us by the Better Healthcare Foundation has enabled my department to build a very strong framework by which to develop the radiation oncology cancer treatments for patients in Cambodia. As radiation oncology physicists are an essential part of the establishment and development of radiotherapy facilities, the opportunity for our own physics and radiation therapy staff to learn from experts has been invaluable.”
The AVP is an Australian Government initiative. It builds on the Australian Government’s investment in international volunteers over the past 60 years and is informed by the many lessons learned through that history.
The program matches skilled Australians from all walks of life with organisations in developing countries to help these organisations to deliver on their own objectives.
My assignment included teaching all the aspects of commissioning a linear accelerator, a CT-Simulator, a planning system as well as a brachytherapy treatment and planning unit.
The National Cancer Centre at Calmette Hospital was to be the first modern radiotherapy service to provide a comprehensive cancer treatment option for the Cambodian people. In 2012 the estimated number of deaths from cancer were over 15,000. Cervical Cancer ranks as the 1stleading cause of female cancer in Cambodia (ages 15-44) with the annual number of cervical cancer cases in 2017 reported at 1,512 and annual number of cervical cancer deaths reported to be 795.
When I arrived, I was greatly relieved to find that all the modern Varian equipment had been successfully installed and the workflows were all in English. This of course created some new challenges for all of us as there are many words in the radiotherapy world that simply do not exist in the Khmer (Cambodian) language. I tackled this with attempts at humour, plenty of interpretative dance moves and many descriptive diagrams.
Culturally my family and I found challenges and delights in equal measure. The heat was often oppressive, the humidity just creeped into everything, including the equipment, and the chaos of local traffic and roads was terrifying at times. Still, the food was plentiful, cheap and mostly delicious, with tropical fruits literally falling from trees and the smiles of the people in greeting were second to none. Evenings were spent outdoors, with plenty of lazy settings to suit all styles of entertainment. We had plenty of opportunities to travel and explore our neighbouring countries.
My assignment was hailed a success by all. The Australian Volunteers Program is certainly a great conduit for Australian citizens to provide assistance to our neighbours, especially in the field of healthcare, where here we have the highest of standards and exceptional opportunities to learn. I certainly could not have completed this assignment with such success if it were not for the support of my peers back home in Australia who were a constant source of support. Whilst often I felt quite isolated, the solution was often only a WhattsApp phone call away.
To see a brief photo story on how my whole family were involved:
Go to: Snapshots from Cambodia
Nikki Shelton
APSIG Special Interest Group > Become APSIG Involved > APSIG Volunteer Assignments and Fundraising > Asia-Pacific Elekta Prize > Snapshots from Cambodia
