Team DailyPedia
Yem Chroeum, an unlicensed Cambodian doctor, was found guilty of infecting more than 200 people with HIV, including some who later died after being infected.
The 55-year-old rural “doctor” apparently reused dirty needles and infected locals in the village of Roka in western Battambang province. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
One of his victims, Loeum Lorn, testified at the trial and claimed that Chroeum infected him and four other members of his family. Moreover, he added that about 10 people from his village, mostly elderly, had died after being infected.
“We are his (the doctor’s) victims but it was only late on that we discovered we were infected,” Lorm told reporters.
Chroeum’s murder charge was reduced to a manslaughter offense.
In Cambodia, millions of people, particularly the poor and those living in remote areas, rely on unlicensed doctors for everyday ailments. According to the World Bank, there are just 0.2 doctors for every 100,000 people in Cambodia.
The rise in HIV infections in Roka has prompted the government to hunt down unlicensed healthcare providers, who are mostly self-taught.
