AsiaLIFE

Simon Jacy catches up with Jean-Claude Dhuez, owner of the International Physiotherapy Clinic and Amata Aromatherapy and Spa Products.

Jean-Claude Dhuez is an old hand in Cambodia, having arrived Cambodia in 1991 with the NGO Handicap International. Placed in charge of the National Rehabilitation Centre, he supervised the Cambodian physiotherapists at Phnom Penh hospitals for the first two years, though his duties as technical advisor at the Cambodian Physical Therapy School took up most of his time, he says. He was responsible for training the teachers at the school in both theory and practice. He even had to develop the curriculum. With physiotherapy almost completely alien to Cambodians, even explaining the concept was difficult.

“This was completely new to Cambodia,” he explains. “It didn’t exist before except for in Calmette [hospital] before the Khmer Rouge. Since then – nothing.” Changing teaching methods, from tedious learning by rote, to more modern approaches was another daunting task. “Here, you tend to learn by memory – you repeat what the teacher tells you,” he says. “We tried to change both the way of teaching and the way of learning.”

During the six years spent working with the Ministries of Health and Education at the school, a lack of skills made for slow progress. Ultimately though the project was a success. This does not surprise him. “As soon as you give Cambodians the right skills – how to learn or how to teach – they are just the same as the French or the British or American students or teachers,” he explains.

Myth and Reality

The legend of Phnom Penh in the early 90s as a dangerous Wild West sin city are somewhat exaggerated, according to Jean-Claude. “A lot of people think this period was very dangerous and adventurous, but I felt much more secure then than now,” he says. “There were much less robberies and attacks in the street at night. Driving in the middle of the night in Phnom Penh was no problem. I never really had the feeling of being in danger, even during the coup of 1997.”

The mentality of both Khmers and foreigners living in Phnom Penh was different, perhaps due to the more-pronounced NGO presence with little private enterprise. “At that time, there were no supermarkets or NagaWorld or Sorya, and no mobile phones,” he says. “Foreigners were much more dedicated to their jobs and less superficial. Now people come to Cambodia and think, ‘Oh, this is a nice country. It’s easy so I can do whatever I want.”

Such a mentality tends to lead to contempt for regulations and illegal work practices, according to Jean-Claude. The once direct and friendly relationship between Khmers and foreigners has also suffered, he adds. The past saw little of the current aggressive posturing or road rage.

Private Practice

In 1997 Jean-Claude left his position as technical advisor to set up his own private physiotherapy practice. “It wasn’t that difficult setting up a business,” he says. That is until a change in the law dictated that all private clinics must be owned by a Cambodian citizen. Jean-Claude’s solution was a little unorthodox. “I was already in the process of getting my Cambodian citizenship, which I got in 2001. I am very proud of that.”

The process, involving written exams to determine a candidate’s knowledge of the Khmer language and Cambodian culture, is free, though not easy. “I was able to do it at that time but I’m not sure about now,” Jean-Claude admits. “I speak okay Khmer but my reading and writing is quite poor.”

Most patients at the International Physiotherapy clinic are foreigners, though that wasn’t always the case. At the beginning of his time in Cambodia, before the 1993 Paris Peace Accords, which ended the war between the Khmer Rouge and the government, most patients were casualties of the long-running civil war. Many were landmine victims.

Gradually a new kind of patient emerged, a change driven by the end of hostilities and growing prosperity. Today, most of the injured are sportsmen and victims of traffic accidents. The most common complaint is backache, says Jean-Claude. “We find the same kind of pathology here as in Europe – back pain, neck pain, disc problems.”

Sweet Smell of Success

Started in 2003, Amata Aromatherapy and Spa Products represents a new venture for Jean-Claude – into aromatherapy and spa products. “I supply some of the spas here with massage oils, essential oils and other products that I create here in Cambodia,” he says. These blends can be for general wellbeing or for aromatherapy treatments.

Unfortunately, the few essential oils and carrier oils produced in Cambodia are not yet of high enough quality. “To set something up that’s completely new – like essential oils production – is very difficult in Cambodia,” he claims. “A lot of people here are not great entrepreneurs. They would rather import something from Thailand or Vietnam than create something new.” The price-driven spa industry is also undermining opportunities in local oil production, he adds, though that’s starting to change.

Jean-Claude has no immediate plans to return to France, at least until his daughters reach Grade 12. For Phnom Penh’s weary and wounded that’s good news.

International Physiotherapy Clinic, 29B Street 288