The Ministry of Health and the WHO on Friday signed a new five-year plan that will seek to address communicable and non-communicable diseases, advance universal health care, strengthen capability to respond to new emerging diseases and increase collaborations and partnerships, a ministry official said yesterday.

“You may see the life expectancy for Cambodia increase” under the new plan, said Dr Sung Vinntak, director of the international cooperation department at the Ministry of Health. Currently, the life expectancy is 70 for men and about 74 for women, he added.

Ministry spokesman Ly Sovann said the country will continue to improve its capacity to quickly respond to outbreaks of emerging diseases, but will still need foreign help to accomplish the plan’s goals.

“We still need external and technical support,” he said.

To strengthen partnerships, the ministry will also be making improvements to the information management system for external aid.

Vinntak declined to comment on whether the aid management measures were a reflection of allegations of corruption and fraud that have struck the National Malaria Centre in recent years.