Minister of Health Chheang Ra has instructed Cambodian healthcare professionals to stand ready to assist people suffering from food poisoning or diarrhoea, noting that a lack of clean water during the dry season may lead to an increase in cases.

Ra issued the orders while addressing the ministry’s February 5 annual meeting to review its work in 2023 and set goals for 2024. The meeting was attended – both in-person and online – by senior ministry officials and the leaders of the municipal and provincial health departments, according to a ministry social media post.

The minister also advised that each of them check their pharmaceutical stocks to ensure that no hospitals or health clinics prescribed expired medicines.

“[Ra] also requested that each of the relevant officials be ready at all times to assist the people during drought conditions. He warned that a lack of clean water could lead to cases of food poisoning and diarrhoea, and ordered that health clinics and referral hospitals make sure they had sufficient stocks of the necessary medications,” according to the ministry.

Kampong Thom provincial health department director Srey Sin said on February 6 that his department will adhere to the minister’s suggestion. 

Sin added that he has instructed the province’s district health teams and clinics to educate the local population. He explained that in the rainy season, they focus on advising people on how to prevent cases of dengue fever, while in the dry season they concentrate on making people aware of the importance of good hygiene, especially when there are water shortages.

“We provide regular seasonal health advice to the public. In the dry season, conditions are windier, which can lead to an increase in respiratory infections, while some people also suffer from diarrhoea due to poor drinking water,” he said.

According to a February 6 forecast by the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, a weak low-pressure front over the coastal regions will combine with a weak high-pressure front over the central plateau – and weak northeast monsoon winds – to increase temperatures across the Kingdom.