Annual Report 2024

Report by the Board of Directors to the 2025 Annual General Meeting

The Swiss Laos Hospital Project association aims to provide humanitarian, medical, and financial support for hospitals, doctors, medical staff, and patients in Laos.

The following activities were carried out in this regard during the reporting year:

Strategy 2024 – 2028

Under the guidance of Alphons Schnyder, each specialist group as well as the board assessed the current situation and set goals for the next five years. In doing so, we aim to ensure that our limited resources are used as effectively as possible.

The focus will continue to be on the training and further education of medical personnel. It is our explicit goal to lead our Laotian partners to become self-sufficient.

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) 2024 – 2028

After lengthy and tough negotiations with the Laotian health authorities and the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Alphons Schnyder was able to sign a new Memorandum of Understanding for the years 2024 to 2028. This provides the legal framework for our activities in Laos, and we are committing ourselves to twelve specific projects and financial support totaling USD 1,550,000 over five years.

Board of directors

The board of directors consists of Alphons Schnyder (President), Elisabeth Bandi-Ott (General Practitioners, until June 30, 2024), Nathalie Brunner (General Practitioners, from July 1, 2024), Cornelia Gawenda (Finance, until June 30, 2024), Stefanie Schmucki (Finance, from July 1, 2024), Jacques Gubler (KSW–Phonsavan, until June 30, 2024), Christine Zehntner (KSW-Phonsavan, from July 1, 2024), Stefanie Huggle (Gynecology and Obstetrics), Marion Mönkhoff (Vice President; Neonatology), Claudia Reichmuth (Neonatology, Nursing), Toni Berthel (Psychiatry), and Martin Sauter (IT). It corresponded primarily by email and met in person on April 9, 2024, May 21, 2024, September 25, 2024, and December 10, 2024.

Annual general meeting 2024

The annual meeting took place on June 10, 2024, in Zurich at the Riesbach Community Center. The most notable agenda items included the 2023 annual report, the 2023 financial statements with the audit report, and the 2024 budget.

Newly elected to the board were Nathalie Brunner (general practitioners, replacing Elisabeth Bandi-Ott), Stefanie Schmucki (finance, replacing Cornelia Gawenda) and Christine Zehntner (KSW-Phonsavan partnership, replacing Jacques Gubler). The three outgoing board members received a gift in gratitude for their many years of service.

The reports of each working group are available as video recordings (in Swiss German only).

Volunteer assignments

In 2024, 77 people from Switzerland carried out assignments in Laos, working there for a total of 1,185 days (including 39 people from KSW with a total of 457 days). In Switzerland, at least 1,500 hours of unpaid work were spent on our project. The number of volunteers who worked in Laos in 2024 and the total number of days they worked are shown in the table below. They deserve a special thank you for their unpaid work.

Group	People	Days
Neonatology / pediatrics	15	320
Gynecology / obstetrics	10	161
General practitioners	6	101
Hospital management	1	60
Psychiatry	5	76
ICU	1	10
KSW – Phonsavan	39	457
Total	77	1’185

Neonatologie

Nurse Pascale Widmer worked in three provincial hospitals in northern Laos from November 2023 to April 2024 (Interview).

In Luang Nam Tha, she got involved in the daily routine of caring for sick newborns. Important topics included hygiene and nutrition for premature babies. She taught how to determine malnutrition by measuring the upper arm circumference. These children are then treated with a high-energy paste made from peanut butter (Plumpy’nut).

In difficult cases (malformations, sepsis), she contacted the neonatologist at Mother Newborn Hospital in Vientiane or Marion Mönkhoff in Zurich to determine the further procedure.

She was able to fix broken devices such as bilimeters by consulting with a technician via video call.

In Sam Neua, she taught the correct use of a new CPAP device to assist newborns with breathing. In doing so, she emphasized the risks associated with this sophisticated technology.

From March 2 to 22, 2024, doctors Marion Mönkhoff, Regine Wehrle, and Cornelia Scheidt, as well as nurses Claudia Reichmuth and Claudia Föse, were on assignment at the Mother Newborn Hospital in Vientiane and at provincial hospitals in Savannakhet, Sayabouli, and Luang Namtha. Medical technician Jan Woodtli was also present for the first time, maintaining and repairing medical equipment.

In November 2024, a total of three doctors, six nurses, and one physical therapist were working at several hospitals.

The concept of “perinatal medicine” was implemented in the obstetrics and neonatology departments (newly built with the support of the SLHP) at Savannakhet Provincial Hospital. Thomas Brune, former Medical Director of Lao Friends Hospital in Luang Prabang, was on assignment for the SLHP for the first time. The collaboration with Marion Mönkhoff and Claudia Reichmuth was planned in advance, first via video conference, then in two meetings in France and Zurich. Two gynecologists, a midwife, and another nurse from Switzerland were also engaged on site.

At a kick-off meeting for a “perinatal” collaboration led by Dr. Chanthala, daily meetings between the obstetrics and neonatology departments and weekly perinatal conferences were agreed upon.

In addition, a series of training courses covering various topics in theory and practice were held in the neonatology department. Among other subjects, these courses covered resuscitation of newborns, thermoregulation, positioning, phototherapy, nutrition, and respiratory support with CPAP.

Together with the local technician, water taps, bililamps, incubators, and many other items were repaired. A number of purchases were made, including six kangaroo chairs, six plastic boxes for storage, a wall clock, clinical thermometers, storage cloths, cleaning supplies, batteries, and much more.

The new pediatric intensive care unit was found to be inadequately equipped, and a plan was developed to purchase monitors, syringe pumps, and infusion pumps.

A commemorative plaque was designed in honor of the private donor who financed the new obstetrics and neonatology building with USD 100,000.

At Pakse Provincial Hospital, nurses Laila Forster and Tanja Schnyder worked alongside pediatrician Antje Becker in the neonatal unit. They distributed supplies they had brought along from Switzerland and participated in the daily hospital routine. In cooperation with local technicians, they attempted to repair defective equipment and provided instruction on its proper use.

They gave lectures with demonstrations on nutrition, the targeted use of antibiotics, and mechanical ventilation for newborns.

With the gynecology/obstetrics team also present, an attempt was made to spread the idea of “perinatology” there as well.

In November 2024, Claudia Reichmuth worked for almost four weeks, Maria Paramby for two weeks, physiotherapist Daniela Hotz for two weeks, and Marion Mönkhoff for one week at the Mother Newborn Hospital in Vientiane.

Various topics were discussed with Dr. Chittaphone, Chief Physician of Neonatology, and the team of doctors and nurses.

Due to a high incidence of sepsis cases in the neonatal unit, the procedures for material preparation and hand hygiene were evaluated in collaboration with microbiologist Thamalee Roberts from Mahasot Hospital, and a concept for improvement was developed. Implementation in practice started with a hands-on workshop.

Ward operations were reviewed in general, and training was provided on enriching infant milk and ventilation using the Fabian ventilator. In addition, the treatment guidelines for hyperbilirubinemia were revised.

Daniela Hotz, a physical therapist, was at the Well Child Clinic at the Mother Newborn Hospital in Vientiane from November 1 to 16, in part alongside pediatrician Antje Becker. This clinic had just opened in the summer of 2024. It primarily conducts screening tests for child development and vaccinations. She taught developmental pediatrics and physiotherapy topics such as positioning for respiratory distress syndrome. She also made suggestions for improving organizational processes and launched a collaboration with the physiotherapy team at the Cope Center.

Gynecology and obstetrics

In March 2024, gynecologists Roswitha Hausdorf, Stefanie Huggle, and Richard Fürpasz visited the Mother Newborn Hospital in Vientiane and Pakse. They found that a number of ultrasound machines and cardiotocographs that we had imported from Switzerland were defective and could not be repaired by the technicians who had flown in from Thailand.

In Pakse, they organized a workshop with the surrounding provincial hospitals and taught emergency obstetrics.

They awarded two scholarships for the training of successors to the biologist who is about to retire and who examines all PAP smears.

In August, gynecologist Wolfgang Zieger visited Laos for the first time. He taught laparoscopic surgical techniques in Vientiane and Pakse.

In fall 2024, a group consisting of gynecologists Elisabeth Lebeda, Sonja Laube, Barbara Nietlispach, and Uwe Kullmer, as well as midwife Franca Rüegger, visited the provincial hospitals in Pakse and Savannaketh. There, they taught sonography and colposcopy, including microscopy, and practiced delivering babies with KIWI vacuum on models.

They taught hygiene, illustrated with samples spread on agar from smartphone surfaces, patient beds, ultrasound probes, and so on.

They monitored a laparoscopic hysterectomy using instruments imported by Wolfgang Zieger.

Uwe Kullmer covered the following topics in his lectures: ultrasound and management of abnormal invasive placenta, pulmonary edema in pregnancy, HELLP syndrome, hormone replacement therapy, maintenance and cleaning of laparoscopic instruments.

HIV project

The Prevention of Transmission of HIV from Mother to Child (PMCT) project, based at the Mother Newborn Hospital, has been supported by SLHP for many years. Its goal is to prevent the transmission of HIV from infected mothers to their children during pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding.

Thanks to a combination of medical care, education, and preventive measures, significant progress was made again last year. Over 10,000 women, including some family members, were tested for HIV infection. Nearly 1 percent of the tests showed positive results for HIV infection. Thanks to the support of the SLHP, the affected families received close medical and psychosocial care and counseling on site until birth. These families will continue to receive medication and powdered milk for their newborns for up to one year after delivery.

Numerous well-established activities carried out by the highly motivated team at MNH received further support during the reporting year, in consultation with the national Centre for HIV/AIDS (CHAS) of the Laotian Ministry of Health. The authorities‘ requirements to test every pregnant woman for HIV and other diseases were thus implemented, and the goal of identifying HIV-infected women early in pregnancy and initiating the necessary antiretroviral medication directly on site was achieved.

The local team received further training to ensure they can provide effective advice and support to affected women and families in line with the latest guidelines. This activity will continue to be a priority in 2025, and peer workers will now also be trained and integrated into the program.

The Swiss Laos Hospital Project will continue its efforts to further reduce mother-to-child transmission of HIV and thus enable affected families to have a better future.

General practitioners

Two teams of Swiss general practitioners and internists worked in the district hospitals of Muang Kham and Nong Het in 2024: Sonia Frick, Sophie Mathys, and Nathalie Brunner were on site in March, followed by Andreas Graf, Peter Ackle, and Michael Steinbrecher in November.

Meanwhile, a group of experienced Laotian doctors, all of whom have completed their specialist training in recent years with the support of the SLHP, are working at Muang Kham District Hospital. Our common goal is now to train these experienced doctors to pass on their experience and knowledge to the next generation in their everyday work, thereby improving the quality of medical care at the hospital. We have focused on the clinical training of younger doctors and medical staff and have supported the experienced doctors in planning and implementing the training on site.

In Nong Het, the structures at the new hospital are now well established. We were able to provide further training, support, and guidance to the doctors working there in their day-to-day work. Challenging medical cases were discussed and the theoretical principles behind them were refreshed in a structured manner in workshops.

Once again, we were able to hold a workshop for the staff of the health centers affiliated with both district hospitals. Some of these health centers are located in very remote areas and are poorly equipped with diagnostic tools and medication. The medical staff – doctors, medical assistants, and nurses – are completely on their own in these remote regions. Therefore, the opportunity to exchange ideas and discuss diseases, diagnostics, and therapies at our two-day workshops was very much appreciated and actively utilized. This discussion is also very stimulating for us Swiss doctors, as our Laotian colleagues have to triage and treat patients with a purely clinical view and few resources.

The valuable support provided to medical professionals through the awarding of scholarships to doctors and nurses has been continued. Further scholarships have already been approved for 2025 for internships lasting several months at Phonsavan Provincial Hospital in the fields of anesthesia, neonatal care, and diabetes treatment. Our scholarships enable Laotian professionals to receive targeted further training and ensure high-quality medical care in the districts in the long term.

In both hospitals, we have once again supported the modestly equipped laboratories with staff training, materials, and the necessary quality assessments. These measures contribute to strengthening the medical infrastructure in the long term and ensuring better patient care overall.

Spitalmanagement

Alphons Schnyder visited Laos three times in 2024. Working closely with the Laotian Minister of Health, he continued to provide training on management and leadership to senior staff at central hospitals. A week-long training course was held at Mahosot Hospital and Mittaphab Hospital, each with 30 participants, to introduce hospital management and leadership guidelines.

To this end, he was involved in conceptualizing hospital autonomy and the start of the rollout phase. The aim is for selected hospitals to take on more responsibility.

The autonomy process was extended to provincial hospitals in Champasak, Luang Prabang, Oudomxay, Savannakhet, Xiengkhuang, Vientiane, Khammouan, Borikhamxay, Xayaboury, and Bokeo.

The project kicked off in May 2024 with a meeting between the directors of the ten provincial hospitals and the Ministry of Health in Vientiane. In October, three-day workshops were held in Luang Prabang, Vientiane, and Savannaketh to introduce hospital autonomy and provide practical tools for implementation. Directors, nursing managers, finance managers, and human resources managers from the ten provincial hospitals participated.

The central hospitals Mahosot, Mittaphab, and Settharthirath had already begun piloting hospital autonomy in 2023. The Mother Newborn Hospital and the Children’s Hospital joined in 2024. Alphons Schnyder held meetings with the hospital management teams of all five central hospitals to monitor the implementation process and plan measures for 2025.

Psychiatry

From September 19 to October 10, 2024, a team consisting of three psychiatrists, Toni Berthel, Sebastian Haas, and Valeska Jasinky, visited Laos. In Pakse, they provided input on communication skills, psychiatric diagnostics, and treatment methods. In role plays, participants practiced communication techniques, assessment methods, diagnostic principles, and therapeutic approaches.

In Phonsavan, they participated in ward rounds with inpatients and outpatients and provided training on bodily distress syndrome. A three-year scholarship in psychiatry in Thailand was prepared for a carefully selected physician.

In 2024, six online lessons were given by specialists from Switzerland on child and adolescent psychiatry. The topics covered were: gaming disorder, drug abuse, psychosis, personality disorders, and bipolar disorders.

The two specialists in child and adolescent psychiatry, Maurizia Franscini and Dagmar Pauli, visited Mahosot Hospital in Vientiane from November 2 to 10, 2024.

In the mornings, they gave theoretical lessons with interactive participation from the attendees, role-playing, explanations of case studies, and answering questions. In the afternoons, cases from the mental health departments were discussed with the local treatment team. The cases focused on depression, anxiety, ADHD, and autism.

They met with Mayfong Maisai, the vice president of the University of Laos, to discuss a planned postgraduate curriculum in psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry.

KSW–Phonsavan hospital partnership

Since 2010, the Cantonal Hospital in Winterthur maintains an independent partnership with the provincial hospital in Phonsavan in order to exchange knowledge, skills, and experience in various hospital activities (see separate report).

Internship for Bachelor’s degree students in human medicine

In 2024, a total of 18 Swiss bachelor’s degree students in human medicine completed a one-month internship at the Mother and Newborn Hospital in their fifth year of study (previous year: 17). The program is now headed by Michèle Stahel, Senior Physician at the USZ Obstetrics Clinic, and coordinated by Catalina Miller, MD candidate.

Communication

Communication with our members and donors primarily happens through digital channels. This not only allows us to provide information more frequently and quickly, but also saves on printing and postage costs.

Our Website www.swisslaos.ch received around 8,900 visits in 2024 (previous year: 8,500). We owe 3.4 percent of these visits to the free ads provided by the Google Ad Grants program (previous year: 5.4 percent). Five percent of visitors originated from Laos (previous year: 4.3 percent), and 43.4 percent were English speakers (previous year: 46.7 percent).

We sent four email newsletters to 510 subscribers each (previous year: 460). We also reported on current events via Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

The only postal mailing this year took place in fall 2024. A printed leaflet with an accompanying letter was sent to 857 addresses (previous year: 917).

In the reporting year, the Executive Board developed a communications and fundraising concept based on the overall strategy 2024–2028. The measures outlined in this concept are now being implemented step by step.

Financial statements 2024

The 2024 annual financial statements and the audit report can be found in the appendix.

Downloads

Annual report 2024 (in German)

Financial statements 2024 (in German)

Thanks

Since its founding by Urs Lauper 25 years ago, our project has grown into a substantial organization. It is supported by many volunteers who contribute their expertise and time free of charge, and by numerous donors who support us with financial contributions of varying sizes.

We can assure you all that our work in Laos is highly regarded by the government and the population because we use our limited resources in a targeted manner and make a real difference.

A big thank you to everyone who supports the Swiss Laos Hospital Project!

April 1, 2025

Dr. Alphons Schnyder
President

Prof. em. Hans Ulrich Bucher
Past president