Our 13 Hospital Departments
Clinical Departments
Inpatient Department (IPD)
The inpatient department has capacity for 42 patients and is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Patients are admitted for both medical and surgical problems, and are cared for by two doctors, six nurses and a variety of other healthcare professionals during every 12-hour shift. Commonly diagnosed cases include fractures, malnutrition, respiratory problems and such diseases as beriberi, dengue fever and typhoid.
Outpatient Department (OPD)
As many as 120 patients per day are seen in the busy outpatient department.
Clinicians are required to be responsive to a wide variety of injuries and illnesses. The outpatient department is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Development Clinic
LFHC is home to the only free Development Clinic in all of Laos
The hospital opened its Development Clinic in 2017 to serve children with developmental issues such as Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and autism. A team of doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, speech and language specialists and a nutritionist provides screening for patients at risk of developmental problems and goal-directed therapies. They focus on improving functional outcomes and quality of life for the children.
Outpatient Department Specialized Clinics
Thalassemia Clinic
LFHC operates the only clinic in northern Laos that offers care and treatment for children with thalassemia, an inherited, incurable blood disorder that causes anemia and can be fatal. The most severely affected children need monthly blood transfusions. The clinic offers specialized blood testing, an optimized transfusion regime, an iron removal program and support and education for the families of our patients.
Orthopedics Clinic
In November 2023, LFHC opened its orthopedic clinic. The clinic will closely monitor patients in collaboration with the physiotherapy and radiology teams. This clinic allows LFHC to consolidate fracture follow-ups into one day per week, reducing patients' waiting times and ensuring X-rays and physiotherapy are available to provide treatment.
Epilepsy Clinic
Lao Friends Hospital for Children opened its new Epilepsy clinic in December 2023. An estimated 50,000 children and adults in Laos have Epilepsy, but only 20,000 have access to regular treatment.
The clinic is held weekly and will follow patients progression, adjust and prescribe medication, and provide family education.
Nephrology Clinic
In August 2023, LFHC opened its nephrology clinic. This is the only specific clinic of its kind in Northern Laos. The clinic's main aim is to treat nephrotic syndrome; however, other kidney-based diseases will also be monitored. The team at LFHC planned to open the weekly nephrotic syndrome clinic every Monday because they realized there was a high number of patients who needed to be monitored closely.
Emergency Room (ER)
The four-bed emergency room is open around the clock for sick and injured children.
The ER is staffed by the hospital’s more experienced doctors and nurses, who are capable of treating children with a wide variety of critical health problems. Cases vary from traffic accidents to children with seizures, septic shock, or respiratory distress and malnutrition. The ER has become a critical component of the hospital as its caseload has dramatically increased in recent years.
Neonatal Unit (NICU)
The hospital has the only dedicated neonatal unit in northern Laos.
The unit can accommodate as many as 26 neonates. Common problems are premature births, low birth-weight and respiratory problems. Our neonatal team has close links with the delivery suite at Luang Prabang Provincial Hospital and regularly attends difficult deliveries there. New mothers are instructed about breastfeeding and nutrition. The NICU also sits next to the LFHC’s donor milk bank, the first in all of Laos, which provides breastmilk to children in the neonatal unit.
The unit was moved to a larger area within the provincial hospital on October 18th, 2018.
Operating Room (OR)
LFHC has a fully equipped operating theatre.
LFHC’s operating theatre treats thousands of children per year. The OT was opened in 2016 and has since grown into a high-quality unit with a highly trained team. The team treats cases as varied as broken bones, fractures, intussusceptions, and burns.
High-Acuity Unit (HAU)
The High-Acuity-Unit is the only totally free pediatric facility of its kind in Laos.
The HAU is a 4-bed unit that provides treatment for the most severely ill patients in the hospital. This unit is the most recent addition to LFHC’s departments and is equipped with ventilators and C-Paps. The doctors and nurses work 24-hour shifts to provide constant monitoring to the very sickest children in Northern Laos.
Allied Health
Pharmacy
The pharmacy department maintains an inventory of all medicine used at the hospital, fills the orders of staff physicians and distributes prescribed medication to patients. The pharmacists also educate families and their children about the proper use and dosage of their medications.
Nutrition
Laos is the country with the highest rate of child malnutrition in Southeast Asia. LFHC established a specialized nutrition team that works across all departments to care for malnourished children. The team also provides breastfeeding support, cooking classes, and family education to try to ensure children can avoid becoming malnourished again in the future.
Radiology
Three specialists work in the radiology department. The staff uses an ultrasonic machine and two x-ray machines to perform diagnostic imaging. The department stores and shares diagnostic images via cloud computing, making it the first hospital in Southeast Asia to use the system. LFHC now shares its imaging storage system with the Luang Prabang Provincial Hospital.
Laboratory
The laboratory focuses on CBC (hemoglobin tests) and rapid tests to treat frequently seen diseases such as malaria, HIV, streptococcus, dengue, and typhoid. These tests provide immediate results and help direct patient care. The laboratory staff has grown to three technicians and has increased its hours to accommodate LFHC’s growing caseload.
Prevention Department
In 2023 LFHC’s Prevention Department launched its mission to combat malnutrition in Laos.
This is a pilot project never before seen in Laos. This is a community-focused project that aims to combat malnutrition on the ground within the community. Following the F1000 (first 1,000) days principle (from conception to 2 years of age), the prevention program will ensure a healthy mom means a healthy baby. They will implement various community interventions to improve case finding, management, and monitoring of children with malnutrition across dozens of villages. These interventions will include training and education of health workers, including village health and nutrition volunteers in each village, formation of mothers’ clubs, conduct of nutrition advocacies, tracking of pregnant mothers and children, and many others. Following evaluation, this project is hoped to be replicated in other districts and provinces across Laos.
Outreach Department
The Outreach team travels over 35,000 km per year to treat the most vulnerable patients in remote areas.
The outreach team assists families who might otherwise not have access to medical services. Outreach plays an educational role in raising health awareness and thereby preventing illness in remote communities. The team travels thousands of miles every year along rutted rural roads and often stays overnight in villages to ensure that they care for every family that needs help.
Education Department
Lao Friends Hospital for Children provides training to hundreds of healthcare professionals, students and their own dedicated team
