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Episode details

World Service,1 min

The founder of the world’s earliest public health system?

The Forum

Available for over a year

Jayavarman 7th, arguably the most ambitious of Khmer kings, was a great builder: he ordered the construction of many large temples and other public monuments, and also over a hundred hospitals. Art historian Dr. Peter Sharrock from the University of London explains how the hospitals were staffed, supplied and why everyone could use them. Photo: Jayavarman 7th 1125-1218 (DeAgostini/Getty Images)

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