The World Health Organisation (WHO) on May 24 provided the Ministry of Health disaster management assistance in the form of laptops, multifunction printers, vests, helmets and devices that can measure a patient’s blood oxygen level through their palm.

The handover ceremony was held in the presence of health minister Mam Bun Heng and WHO Representative to Cambodia Li Ailan at the ministry.

The ministry noted that the bulk of the donation consisted of 1,200 of the devices for measuring blood oxygen levels.

“The WHO is a cooperative partner with the health ministry, providing us with technical, budgetary and medical assistance, especially to prevent and respond to Covid-19,” the ministry said

Bun Heng said the WHO had always cooperated and coordinated with the ministry by providing technical and budgetary assistance for the promotion of health services and the improvement of their effectiveness and safety. This helps the government in its efforts at improving the Cambodian people’s quality of life.

“This generous assistance by the WHO will be distributed to officials in charge of disaster management work in the capital and provinces. [The laptops and printers] will be used to help with collection of data on both man-made and natural disasters,” Bun Heng said.

On March 3 – through the WHO’s Covax initiative – Cambodia received 324,000 doses of the Covishield vaccines produced in India under licence from UK-based AstraZeneca.