Prime Minister Hun Sen on July 1 ordered that commander of National Military Police Sao Sokha use confiscated timber to make coffins. He also told the Ministry of Economy and Finance to provide money to buy coffins in order to be fully stocked at hospitals in Phnom Penh and the provinces. Heng Chivoan
Deputy National Police chief Kheng Sameth has donated 100 coffins each to Banteay Meanchey and Battambang provinces following reports of up to 30 severely ill Covid-19 patients hospitalised in Banteay Meanchey alone.
Banteay Meanchey provincial deputy governor Om Chanda confirmed to the The Post on July 4 that Sameth had donated 100 coffins to the province and another 100 to Battambang.
“The national sub-commission to manage and control bodies of Covid-19 patients is also prepared to provide more coffins. But we will use the 100 coffins that we receive from Sameth first. If there is a shortage, perhaps the national level will provide more,” Chanda said.
He said he believed that if the government completes Covid-19 vaccinations for people there within one month, the Covid-19 situation in the province will improve, but some Covid-19 patients there became seriously ill when infected because they had not been vaccinated.
“The government plans to send more vaccines. But I can say the rising number of patients will decrease in the coming days, perhaps in two weeks or a month.
“It’s possible that these 100 coffins will not even be used because these 30 severe Covid-19 patients have been admitted to the hospital and may recover,” he added.
According to Chanda, Banteay Meanchey has two hospitals to treat severe Covid-19 patients – the Poipet Referral Hospital and the Cambodia-Japan Friendship Hospital in Mongkol Borei district. For mild cases, there is a hospital in Serei sophorn town with a quarantine centre to receive and treat them.
“I kept 50 coffins here and sent 20 to Serei Sophorn town and 30 coffins to the Cambodia-Japan Friendship Hospital,” he added.
Prime Minister Hun Sen on July 1 ordered that commander of National Military Police Sao Sokha use confiscated timber to make coffins. He also told the Ministry of Economy and Finance to provide money to buy coffins in order to be fully stocked at hospitals in Phnom Penh and the provinces.
“Deaths during the Covid-19 pandemic are very sad ... we have to have proper coffins for cremation or burial. The sub-commission for construction and preparation should discuss with the national sub-commission for management and control of Covid-19 patients’ bodies to examine the possibility of using seized timber with Sao Sokha,” he said.
“The timber we have seized in the past can be used to make coffins. We are not at the point where we have to dispose of these bodies with no coffins. We have to have coffins. We have to respect the souls of our citizens who have departed from this world,” he said.
