For five years, LifeHealthcare has been proud to support an outreach program bringing specialist spinal care to patients in Cambodia. In 2026, our team returned to the Children’s Surgical Centre in Phnom Penh, joining experienced clinicians and industry partners with a shared purpose: to help make complex spinal treatment accessible to patients who may otherwise have limited options for care.

 

For Nathania Mills, Territory Manager Spine at LifeHealthcare, this year marked her second time joining the outreach team in Cambodia. Returning to the Children’s Surgical Centre offered a chance to reconnect, see the ongoing impact of the program firsthand and once again work alongside the clinicians and partners who make it possible. Here, Nathania reflects on the experience and what continues to make the outreach so meaningful.

 

 

 

Returning to Cambodia for my second outreach trip was a privilege. Over the course of the week, I joined an experienced group of clinicians and industry partners with a shared goal: to give patients access to specialist spinal care that many would otherwise be unable to receive.

The team included four New Zealand spine surgeons - Kris Dalzell, Mike Barnes, Hamish Deverall and Robert Rowan; anaesthetists Jason Henwood and Kelly Byrne; and Vicki Ledergerber. Jesse Malloy and I represented LifeHealthcare, supporting the team throughout the week, alongside generous product contributions from SpineArt, LifeHealthcare, Australian Biotechnologies and the Australian Tissue Donation Network. Over the course of the week, 20 patients received treatment, including children and adults with complex spinal deformities, growing rod constructs, degenerative conditions and other challenging spinal pathologies. 

For many of these patients, access to this level of care is far from straightforward. Cambodia has very limited access to complex spine surgery. While some families may be able to travel overseas for treatment, for many, this simply isn’t an option. That made the opportunity to provide this care locally particularly meaningful. For patients travelling from the provinces, even reaching Phnom Penh can involve significant financial and personal sacrifice. For some, this out-reach may be their only opportunity to receive complex spine treatment. A powerful moment of the week was seeing patients return for review who had been treated by the same outreach team on previous visits. To see them doing so well, and to reconnect with the people behind those earlier surgeries, was a powerful reminder that the impact of this work continues long after the team has left.

The week was about more than the operations themselves. Each morning, the team held a clinic to assess patients, review imaging and discuss the best approach for each case. Different experiences and perspectives came together, with the surgeons challenging each other’s thinking and working collaboratively to make the best decisions for every patient.

For the local clinicians, it was also an opportunity to observe these discussions, share knowledge and build experience that can continue to benefit patients long after the outreach team has gone. 

The contribution from LifeHealthcare, SpineArt and Australian Biotechnologies was an important part of making this possible. By providing the products and resources required for these complex cases, our support allowed the clinical team to focus on what mattered most: the patients in front of them. 

The trip also highlighted that meaningful outreach extends beyond the operating theatre. Many patients continue to face financial barriers to investigations such as imaging, highlighting opportunities to make the journey to treatment more accessible and seamless in the future. 

Ultimately, the most powerful part of the trip was the people. 

The patients and families who placed their trust in the team. The local clinicians who welcomed us and worked alongside us. The surgeons and anaesthetists who gave their time and expertise. And the LifeHealthcare team and supplier partners who contributed their resources and support. 

Together, that resulted in 20 patients receiving treatment that, for many, would otherwise have been out of reach. 

There is a real humility to an outreach programme like this. We arrive with expertise and resources, but we also leave having learned - from the patients, from the local healthcare system and from each other. 

For me, the trip was a reminder that our impact as an organisation can extend well beyond the products we provide. By supporting initiatives like this and working alongside clinicians and partners, we can help bring specialist care to patients who may otherwise have very limited access to it. 

For these 20 patients, that meant receiving spinal care in their own country. 

It was a privilege to play a small part in making that possible - and something we can all be proud to support. 

For more information about the Children’s Surgical Centre, please visit: www.csc.org