Volunteer Profile: Dr. Richard Strauss

Dr. Richard Strauss first came to volunteer at Lao Friends Hospital for Children in 2018. As an experienced pediatrician specializing in intensive care, Dr. Richard was looking for a way to support healthcare projects in developing countries.　　

When Dr. Richard first came to LFHC, volunteers operated in a supervisory role, often doing rounds and being heavily involved with clinical support. This has changed over the past six years since he first visited the hospital. Due to the growth in expertise and confidence of the clinical team, volunteers now provide advisory mentorship-based support. Although different, this is still a vitally important role. The goal of LFHC is never to stand still and continue to grow and improve; support from volunteers like Dr. Richard allows the Lao team to hone their skills and ask for expert help and second opinions.　

This support has been evident in LFHC’s High-Acuity-Unit, where Dr. Richard has　been heavily involved in supporting the Lao doctors and nurses. Opened in 2022, the HAU provides treatment to the sickest children at the hospital and is home to equipment such as CPAPs and ventilators. According to Dr. Richard, the HAU has transformed the care LFHC can provide to children, in particular children with severe respiratory conditions. Before the HAU opened, the hospital had no way to treat these children who were often too sick to travel to Vientiane or Thailand, and even if they could travel, treatments would be very expensive. LFHC can now try to save these children.　　

Dr. Richard was full of praise for the HAU team, which has become multifaceted in its ability to provide close patient monitoring and understand complex machinery. Children who would have been beyond saving can now receive treatment—such as Meethor. Dr. Richard recalled this 6-day-old boy who arrived with a cyanotic (bluish) color and near apnea (absence of breathing). Following treatment with CPAP, he worsened, and he needed to be intubated, which resulted in several days of being attached to a mechanical ventilator. After intubating him for three days, following CPAP, he began to improve. He was later discharged to the neonatal unit and is now recovering. Children like Meethor would have had nowhere to go before LFHC’s HAU opened its doors.　　

We thank Dr. Richard for his continued support of the LFHC team. He regularly volunteers at the hospital, and this support allows him to build strong, trusting relationships with the team and see with his own eyes the rapid progress of the local staff.