Kho, a general practitioner, has received the 2007 PEACE Humanitarian of the Year award from the Philippine Economic and Cultural Endowment, based in Oklahoma City.

"You are not only a humanitarian … but a devout Christian, a model father, a loyal friend and, most of all, a man of PEACE," according to the citation sent to Kho by Francisco R. Rabadam, PEACE president.

Through PEACE, Kho has worked tirelessly to build artesian wells to supply safe drinking water for Filipinos.

"Diarrhea and other intestinal problems are major problems in the Philippines," said Kho, who has practiced medicine in Scott County for 35 years. "We have built more than 150 wells in the country. We also send money to rebuild houses following typhoons and hurricanes."

Kho, a U.S. citizen since 1978, has another strong link with his birthplace. He is president of the 2,500-member University of the Philippines Medical Alumni Society in America. The organization supports its alma mater with money to buy computers, microscopes and textbooks for students. It also sends medication that the university uses to help treat indigent patients.

"I still have deep feelings for my mother country because that's my heritage," Kho said.

The PEACE award honors Kho for his work around the globe as a physician and man of compassion. Through the U.S. Army Reserves, he spent time in the mountains of El Salvador, where he and his team set up clinics to treat poor villagers who have minimal access to doctors and must travel miles on rugged roads to reach a city with health-care resources.

Over 10 days in 1996, Kho and his colleagues treated 5,613 patients in El Salvador.

"This work humbles me," he said.

During Operation Desert Storm in Kuwait, he worked in a field hospital that treated Kuwaiti military personnel and their families. In addition, he accompanied U.S. Army engineers to Jordan to construct a firing range to train the Jordanian Royal Army.

"The common ailments here are heat stroke, (temperature goes up to 110 easily), gastroenteritis and accidents," he wrote at the time he was in Jordan in 1994.

Kho received the U.S. Army Humanitarian Award during his service in the Reserves.

Kho arrived in Scottsburg in 1972 after a two-year stint as a staff physician at the old St. Anthony Hospital in Louisville. He had come to the United States to train as a surgeon at Johns Hopkins University and at the University of Chicago and University of Texas.

He had intended to return to the Philippines to practice medicine after his residency and internship in the states, but that changed after the first two of his five children were born to him and his wife, Grace.

"My wife and I decided to take advantage of the educational opportunities for the children in this country," he said.

In Scottsburg, Kho is active in civic affairs. He performs health screenings for high school athletes through Scott Memorial Hospital. And he volunteers for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Dawn Mays, vice president of nursing at the hospital, said she sees Kho "at the hospital early in the morning and late at night, taking his time with his patients. He is thorough. He has many loyal patients. We are lucky to have him here in the community."

Kho, who gave up surgery five years ago because of arthritic problems, said he hopes to practice medicine for another 10 years before retiring.

"My philosophy is to do anything that you can to help your fellow man," he said. "Leave the world a better place than when you found it."

Scottsburg doctor honored for healing more than ills
He receives humanitarian award for work in native Philippines

By Ron Cooper
Special to The Courier-Journal

Eusebio C. Kho has traveled the world over helping people in need -- including projects in El Salvador, Jordan and Kuwait.

Now the Scottsburg physician has been recognized for his passion to help his homeland of the Philippines, where he was born 73 years ago.

Kho, a general practitioner, has received the 2007 PEACE Humanitarian of the Year award from the Philippine Economic and Cultural Endowment, based in Oklahoma City.

"You are not only a humanitarian … but a devout Christian, a model father, a loyal friend and, most of all, a man of PEACE," according to the citation sent to Kho by Francisco R. Rabadam, PEACE president.

Through PEACE, Kho has worked tirelessly to build artesian wells to supply safe drinking water for Filipinos.

"Diarrhea and other intestinal problems are major problems in the Philippines," said Kho, who has practiced medicine in Scott County for 35 years. "We have built more than 150 wells in the country. We also send money to rebuild houses following typhoons and hurricanes."

Kho, a U.S. citizen since 1978, has another strong link with his birthplace. He is president of the 2,500-member University of the Philippines Medical Alumni Society in America. The organization supports its alma mater with money to buy computers, microscopes and textbooks for students. It also sends medication that the university uses to help treat indigent patients.

"I still have deep feelings for my mother country because that's my heritage," Kho said.

The PEACE award honors Kho for his work around the globe as a physician and man of compassion. Through the U.S. Army Reserves, he spent time in the mountains of El Salvador, where he and his team set up clinics to treat poor villagers who have minimal access to doctors and must travel miles on rugged roads to reach a city with health-care resources.

Over 10 days in 1996, Kho and his colleagues treated 5,613 patients in El Salvador.

"This work humbles me," he said.

During Operation Desert Storm in Kuwait, he worked in a field hospital that treated Kuwaiti military personnel and their families. In addition, he accompanied U.S. Army engineers to Jordan to construct a firing range to train the Jordanian Royal Army.

"The common ailments here are heat stroke, (temperature goes up to 110 easily), gastroenteritis and accidents," he wrote at the time he was in Jordan in 1994.

Kho received the U.S. Army Humanitarian Award during his service in the Reserves.

Kho arrived in Scottsburg in 1972 after a two-year stint as a staff physician at the old St. Anthony Hospital in Louisville. He had come to the United States to train as a surgeon at Johns Hopkins University and at the University of Chicago and University of Texas.

He had intended to return to the Philippines to practice medicine after his residency and internship in the states, but that changed after the first two of his five children were born to him and his wife, Grace.

"My wife and I decided to take advantage of the educational opportunities for the children in this country," he said.

In Scottsburg, Kho is active in civic affairs. He performs health screenings for high school athletes through Scott Memorial Hospital. And he volunteers for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Dawn Mays, vice president of nursing at the hospital, said she sees Kho "at the hospital early in the morning and late at night, taking his time with his patients. He is thorough. He has many loyal patients. We are lucky to have him here in the community."

Kho, who gave up surgery five years ago because of arthritic problems, said he hopes to practice medicine for another 10 years before retiring.

"My philosophy is to do anything that you can to help your fellow man," he said. "Leave the world a better place than when you found it."

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