Our history

CSC Founder and CEO, Dr. Jim Gollogly, a British-American surgeon, first came to Cambodia in 1992 for a 6-month assignment with the American Red Cross. After 30 years of war and genocide by the Pol Pot regime, in which educated citizens were targeted for execution, the medical system had suffered tremendously. Upon arriving to Cambodia, Dr. Jim found that war and landmine injuries were rampant, and disabilities were neglected. Having made a few contacts during his assignment, he returned to Cambodia in 1998 and CSC started as a small project to help victims of landmine injuries, many of whom were children. Since then, it has grown into what it is today - a tertiary teaching hospital with over 100 Cambodian staff performing free and low-cost surgery in numerous specialties for economically disadvantaged patients.

Dr. Jim in 1998
Donor visits
Vanda Wing opening ceremony 2013
Lt. Gen. Hun Manet visits

Our values

1

ETHICAL CARE

We are committed to ethical medical practices, behaviors and values. Our mission is to offer all Cambodians access to life-changing surgery. We are guided by the needs of our patients and strive to help them achieve health and meaningful change in their lives.

2

MINIMAL COSTS

We offer free or low-cost surgery to all disabled Cambodians. Due to loss of donors during the COVID pandemic, we may ask patients if they can give a small donation toward their care. If the patients cannot pay, we still give them care, just as before.

3

TRANSPARENCY

We publish our annual reports, audits, and registrations to maintain public trust and advance our mission.. Find our annual reports, audits, and our registrations here.

4

SUSTAINABLE

We prioritize making every resource count, ensuring we thrive in low-resource settings. Our approach maximizes clinical benefits from every donation, extending the impact and improving healthcare access for more patients.

5

EDUCATIONAL

We offer our Khmer surgeons and staff the opportunity to work with international surgeons and other volunteers from all over the world.  We are grateful to the many teams who have developed our skills in spine surgery, brachial plexus injury repair, total joint replacement, limb lengthening procedures, retinal surgery and complex ear surgery among others. Our Khmer surgeons now operate at a high level and are teaching surgery internationally, an amazing accomplishment which would not have been possible without the dedication of our CEO, our surgical fellows, many volunteers and most importantly, our generous donors.

6

CAPACITY BUILDING

We empower our CSC staff to develop skills and knowledge that contribute to long-term improvements in healthcare across the country, ensuring that the impact extends beyond our center and supports a sustainable healthcare system.