Nokor Tep Hospital name changed to Queen Mother after official opening as treatment centre

Nokor Tep Hospital name changed to Queen Mother after official opening as treatment centre

Nokor Tep Women’s Hospital was officially bought by the government yesterday, and has now changed its name to “Queen Mother” Hospital, Prime Minister Hun Sen reportedly told local media.

PM Hun Sen said the purchase and name change were made as the hospital started to receive its first COVID-19 patients yesterday, after being made a designated treatment centre.

The former “Nokor Tep” hospital, located in Prey Sar commune of Dangkor district, Phnom Penh, is the second premesis to turn into a treatment centre for COVID-19 patients. The first was “The Great Duke” hotel, formerly known as Intercontinental hotel.

The hospital was temporarily closed on March 12, as it was “working with the government of Cambodia to provide care to COVID-19 patients after March 21, 2021,” according to its Facebook page.

Since this announcement, the government received $2 million from tycoons Pung Kheav Se, $50,000 from Thong Sarath and Tiev Thida, $2 million from Lee Yong Phat, $2 million from Chip Mong Group and $3.5 million from Leng Navatra in funding for the hospital rennovations, according to a local media report.

As for the total funding received for the hospital, spokesman for the Council of Ministers Phay Siphan told Khmer Times that the Committee on Nokor Tep Financial Evaluation is expected to release the information soon.

The hospital was officially renamed and became state property after the final purchase yesterday. The owner of the former Nokor Tep hospital will use the money from the purchase to build a second Nokor Tep hospital.

Royal Cambodian Army commander Lieutenant General Hun Manet posted on his Facebook page yesterday, along with a series of pictures as he visited the hospital saying, “17 days after we first received order from Mr Hun Sen to renovate the hospital to become a treatment center for COVID-19 patients.