In November, James Cook, a registered nurse from Sydney arrived in north-west Cambodia to begin an 18-month stint. He tells of his experiences providing much needed care and training to the local community.

I work in a busy emergency department in one of Cambodia's major referral hospitals. Serving a population of 1 million people, Siem Reap Provincial Hospital is in one of the largest provinces in Cambodia but there is no electronic equipment and a chronic shortage of basic supplies. Most patients that arrive are critically sick and the treatment offered is limited by the severe lack of resources. The hospital laboratory can do basic blood tests only. More advanced blood tests such as measuring lactate levels, creatine kinase, or cardiac enzymes are not possible. Microbiology is also extremely...