The ‘VIP’ quarantine facility at the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital. Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital
The Ministry of Health has denied allegations that it had overcharged incoming travellers from abroad for quarantine services.
Ministry spokeswoman Or Vandine explained that some individuals had chosen to quarantine at hotels, offered to pay for it and signed documents without any pressure.
If they did not have enough money to pay, she said they were able to choose a facility prepared and funded by the state to quarantine at no cost.
“The health ministry totally denied the news of food and quarantine prices spread on social media. The allegations were baseless while the ministry is striving to carry out measures against Covid-19 infections being imported from abroad,” she said.
The denial came as the ministry reported another positive Covid-19 patient in the country – a Cambodian woman from Kratie province’s Chitr Borei distric who travelled from Japan via South Korea and arrived on October 19.
In a press release, the ministry said the woman was confirmed Covid-19 positive after a second test on the 13th day of her quarantine. She is receiving treatment at the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital.”
The woman was on the same flight as the Polish man who tested positive on October 21.
There were 53 total passengers on board the plane, 26 of whom underwent quarantine at hotels in Phnom Penh while the other 26 were isolated at the Air Force base, including the Kratie woman.
The ministry said the 25 passengers quarantining alongside the woman were required to quarantine for an additional 14 days because they were at risk of contracting the disease.
As of November 1, Cambodia had reported a total of 292 Covid-19 patients -- 60 of them females. Of the total, 283 have recovered and nine remain hospitalised – four Cambodian men, two Cambodian women, a Polish man, a French man and a French woman.
In other Covid-related news, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha offered mobile isolation rooms to the Cambodian embassy in Thailand on October 30 at a ceremony attended by minister-councillor Lay Chanrasmey.
The Australian embassy to Phnom Penh also announced an AUD 500 million ($350.3 million) Regional Vaccine Access and Health Security Initiative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
In a November 2 press release, Australian foreign minister Marise Payne said: “A fast, safe vaccine rollout in the Pacific and Southeast Asia will mean we are able to return to more normal travel, tourism and trade with our key partners in the region.”
Australian ambassador Pablo Kang said the move will boost the country’s already deep engagement in the health sector in Cambodia.
“This ... should play a key role in Cambodia’s efforts to secure universal access to WHO-approved [World Health Organisation] Covid-19 vaccines,” he said.
