The Ministry of Health has announced the recruitment of 3,324 additional civil servants. The new employees will work with national and sub-national units to provide health services to the public.

According to an August 29 announcement by Minister of Health Mam Bun Heng, the recruitment will be carried out via an entrance exam, which will be set by the health ministry and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.

“The exam subjects are both vocational and general, and the exam should take two hours,” he said.

Tbong Khmum provincial health department director Keo Vannak told The Post on August 29 that almost all provinces needed more health workers. He said his province needed 151 new staff, as there was a shortage at the provincial health centres and at the Cambodia-China Friendship Hospital, which is a new hospital.

Vannak said that at the same time, Kampong Cham province, which is adjacent, also needed more staff. He said the announcement would provide some relief, but more staff would be needed.

“We also need to send some staff to Kroch Chhmar district hospital, as it is also new. It will be easier for the public health sector to provide services when we are adequately staffed,” he said.

Ung Ratana, director of the Ratanakkiri provincial health department, told The Post that the province needed nearly 100 more staff for its referral hospitals and health centres.

Ratana submitted a recruitment proposal to the health ministry for more than 160 people, but was only allocated 84, as other provinces are also facing staff shortages.

“Right now, we able to deliver all of the services that we need to, but some of the staff are having to multi-task. Once we have enough staff members, it will be easier to establish clear areas of responsibilities,” he said.

Affiliated Network for Social Accountability executive director San Chey told The Post on August 29 that the recruitment of the health workers needed to be based on specific needs for specific roles in specific locations.

Chey added that recruitment according to needs should place a priority on placing new staff where they are needed, and this sometimes means recruiting in those places.

“The recruits won’t move from Takeo to Kampong Chhnang, or from Kampong Chhnang to Prey Veng provinces, or if they do, they will soon end up moving closer to their homes. Recruitment should be conducted in line with the principle of decentralisation, so it helps to provide effective health care at the local level,” he said.