In October, Dr. Michal Giboda, prominent Czechoslovak expert in parasitology, who spent a part of his profesional life in Cambodia, returned to this country. A place, where he went down in medical history, is located in the south in the Takeo province, otherwise a cradle of the Khmer civilization. Now already a retired 85-year-old physician-scientist still keeps himself in an enviable physical and mental shape.

Dr. Giboda was working in a hospital built and administered by Czechoslovakia, so it was not suprising and it bore a name “Czechoslovak Friendship Hospital“. Although currently “Takeo Provincial Referral Hospital“, it does not mean that the Czechoslovak and later the Czech vestiges have been deleted. Accompanied by the present director, not only did Dr. Giboda entered in his “own“ laboratory and consulting room, but he also met with several contemporary witnesses who are still in an active duty there.   

The highlight of the trip was a lunch hosted by the then director of hospital and his wife, one of the closest collaborators of the dispatched Czechoslovak team. Their son is now director of the “Takeo Eye Hospital“ that Dr. Giboda viewed as well. The lunch was attended by some other Cambodian members of the mixed collective who, in Spartan conditions, tried hard to provide the best possible medical assistance and be a substitute for missing Cambodian doctors who in great numbers did not survive the Polpot era.

Read more about the doctor here.