Beat Richner

Dr. Beat Richner (born March 13, 1947) is a Swiss pediatrician, cellist (Beatocello), and founder of children's hospitals in Cambodia.

Related Topics:
March 13 - 1947 - Swiss - Pediatrician - Cellist - Cambodia

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Richner worked at the Kantha Bopha Children's Hospital in Phnom Penh in 1974 and 1975. When the Khmer Rouge overran Cambodia, he was forced to return to Switzerland.

Related Topics:
Kantha Bopha - Phnom Penh - 1974 - 1975

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In 1991, Richner returned to Cambodia and saw the devastation that taken place during his absence. He was asked to re-open the children's hospital.

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He has opened three children's hospitals in Cambodia, Kantha Bopha I and II in Phnom Penh and Jayavarman VII in Siem Reap.

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Beatocello peforms free concerts at the Jayavarman VII hospital in Siem Reap on Friday and Saturday nights. The evenings include songs, played on his cello, and talks on the health crisis in Cambodia. He asks the young tourists for blood, the older tourists for money, and the ones in between for both.

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Richner and his work in Cambodia have been the subject of four documentary films by Georges Gachot: Bach at the Pagoda (1997), And the Beat Goes On (1999), Depardieu goes for Beatocello (2002), and Money or Blood (2004).

Related Topics:
Documentary film - Georges Gachot

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Richner was named "Swiss of the Year" in 2003.

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