I was in Cambodia for a conference a couple of months ago. Along the road from our hotel was a children's hospital and, being a doc, I asked to look round it. That's where I found out about a swiss doc called Beat Richner who gets my vote as saint of his generation. 

Since the 1970's this man, who started life as a professional cellist, has founded and run FIVE children's hospitals across Cambodia on donations alone. He raises $25,000,000...yes twenty five million dollars... each year to provide free treatment for 60,000 a year. It is estimated he has been responsible for treatment given to 7.5 million children in that time and hospitalized 500,000... all for no cost to the families of these kids. In fact, he even pays a transport stipend to parents whose kids need ongoing treatment.

And what treatment! He has set the rule that a Cambodian child (where $1 will provide food for a beggar for two days) will get first world care. His hospitals have state of the art operating rooms, ctscanners and mri machines and no one gets turned away. He says all children, no matter from which country they come, should receive the best of available care.

And to cap it all, he has trained all the docs in his hospitals...they are all Cambodians...  and pays them first world wages so that they don't leave for greener pastures.

Twice a week he gives a cello recital and raises money throughout the recital by demanding a gift. "If you don't have money, give blood," he says, " it is needed by the children."

Want more info? Foundation Childrens Hospital Kantha Bopha, Dr Med Beat Richner, c/o intercontrol ag, seefeldtstrasse 17, ch-8008 Zurich.