Tan
Sou Chin, who suffers from Hepatitis C, did not have access to the treatment she
needed for her life-threatening illness. Like many impoverished families in Cambodia, Mrs.
Sou Chin, 54, and her husband, who recently lost his job as a fisherman,
struggled daily to provide for their six children. Thanks to a hepatitis
treatment program supported by AmeriCares and product donations from Merck
(known as MSD outside the U.S.),
she was able to get the treatment she needed to survive.
“I
was hopeless but now I am healthy,” said Mrs. Sou Chin. “I would like to say
thank you to the donor who donated this medicine for saving my life.”
Merck’s
most recent donation of critical medicines has provided renewed hope and health
to 100 low-income hepatitis patients like Mrs. Sou Chin. Since February 2008,
Merck has supported the treatment program, providing PegIntron and Rebetol to low-income
patients of HOPE worldwide Medical
Centers in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.
Nearly 10 percent of the
population in Cambodia
is infected with the Hepatitis C virus, but few have access to treatment.
Merck’s donations have allowed physicians to effectively treat the disease for
those in need, reducing the risk of liver cirrhosis, liver cancer and liver
failure.
Dr.
Tan Kim Meng, the Medical Business Leader of HOPE worldwide Medical
Centers and physician
overseeing the Hepatitis C program, emphasized the value of the program to its
patients. “Without donors it would be very difficult, because some patients can
pay very little for their treatment,” Dr. Kim Meng said. “I am so thankful to
Merck and AmeriCares for giving our patients a chance.”
