Minister of Health Chheang Ra meets with Soleine Scottney, country director of the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) on October 2 at the ministry headquarters in Phnom Penh. MOH
Minister of Health Chheang Ra outlined the ministry’s health development strategies to Soleine Scottney, country director of the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) on October 2, during their meeting at the ministry headquarters in Phnom Penh. They also pledge to establish further cooperation.
Ra thanked CHAI for supporting the ministry’s national programmes to eliminate Malaria, AIDS and Hepatitis in the past. He said the organisation’s support for human resources development is an essential part of its participation in enhancing people’s well-being.
He also outlined the ministry’s three key priority strategies to develop the health sector in Cambodia, as it strives to further improve public services.
“Our strategies include strengthening health infrastructure via medicine supply, equipment and staffing capacity, improving referral hospitals in each operational district so they include an ICU, surgery, laboratories and medical imaging services, and the capacity building of the leadership of our national and sub-national level staff,” he said.
Scottney praised the strategies, and thanked the ministry for supporting the organisation’s activities in the past.
“We provided technical assistance with laboratory and oxygen production in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the national immunisation programme and the digital health system, in line with the ministry’s priorities,” she said.
She informed Ra that CHAI will follow the minister’s key recommendations, and develop an action plan to further strengthen cooperation with the ministry.
The ministry and CHAI pledged to further expand cooperation to contribute to the well-being of the Cambodian people in achieving global health coverage, in line with the seventh mandate government’s Pentagonal Strategy.
Am Sam Ath, deputy director of rights group Licadho, expressed his support for the ministry’s commitment to improving public health services.
“In addition to strengthening efficiency, the health ministry should pay attention to doctors’ professional ethics, and improve treatment through standardised equipment,” he said.
