Australian ambassador Pablo Kang (left) and finance minister Aun Pornmoniroth. AUSTRALIAN EMBASSY
The Australian government has pledged to assist Cambodia with the speedy acquisition and equitable distribution of Covid-19 vaccines once they have been certified by the COVAX Facility.
In a statement to The Post on December 24, the Australian embassy said: “Australia welcomes Cambodia’s commitment to only procuring vaccines that are pre-qualified by the World Health Organisation [WHO], a position Australia strongly supports, as it is important for ensuring vaccine safety and efficacy.”
Australian ambassador Pablo Kang met with Minister of Economy and Finance Aun Pornmoniroth on December 23 to discuss Australia’s development cooperation with Cambodia, including plans and procedures for safe access to Covid-19 vaccines.
Kang said the Australian government was already in discussions with the Cambodian Ministry of Health and key development partners to determine how to proceed with vaccine purchases.
He noted Australia’s long-standing support for Cambodia’s health sector through funding of the Health Equity and Quality Improvement Project as well as a new A$500 million (US$380 million) grant for vaccine financing for Southeast Asia and the Pacific announced in October.
“Our planned support for Covid-19 vaccines in Cambodia will include procurement, delivery and health advice,” Kang said.
Domestically, the Australian government has entered into multiple advance purchase agreements. Rollout of a vaccination in Australia is subject to the outcomes of clinical trials and approval by Australia’s pharmaceuticals regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
In a press statement on December 24, the Cambodian finance ministry thanked the Australian government for its development assistance and reiterating the government’s position with respect to acquiring vaccines.
“The Royal Government of Cambodia has been working with development partners, multilaterally and bilaterally, and especially with the WHO, to formulate plans for purchasing Covid-19 vaccines following confirmation of their efficacy and implementing vaccinations.
“This is to ensure control of the safety, quality and efficiency of the use of Covid-19 vaccines and to ensure that they will be delivered to Cambodians in the timely manner. HE Aun Pornmonirath stressed that the Cambodian government will buy WHO-approved vaccines only,” the press statement said.
Prime Minister Hun Sen said on December 15 that the Kingdom had prepared around $200 million to purchase Covid-19 vaccines certified under the COVAX initiative for up to 13 million citizens. In response, people from across the country have expressed their support by donating money for the vaccine purchase.
Neither health ministry spokeswoman Or Vandine nor secretary of state York Sambath could be reached for comment as to how much the public have contributed so far. But local media outlet Fresh News reported that as of December 23 more than $54 million had been donated.
Kin Phea, director of the Royal Academy of Cambodia’s International Relations Institute, took issue with some media outlets that linked Prime Minister Hun Sen’s commitment to purchase only COVAX-approved vaccines to China.
Malaysia’s New Straits Times newspaper on December 17published an article titled “Cambodia refuses to be ‘guinea pig’ for China’s Covid vaccine”.
Likewise, the South China Morning Post on December 20 ran the headline “Cambodia’s caution over China’s Covid-19 vaccine a signal to US: analysts”.
Phea said: “Some foreign and local media seem to confine themselves within the scope of Cambodia-China relations. If Prime Minster Hun Sen said Cambodia would buy China’s vaccine, they would say that Cambodia is influenced by China. And when he did not even say a word about China regarding the vaccine, they interpreted it to mean another thing.
“The prime minister made it clear that Cambodia did not reject China’s or any country’s vaccine. Rather, we will purchase a vaccine that is approved by the WHO because that will ensure the safety of Cambodians. Prime Minister Hun Sen’s position has not changed with regard to any particular country, his priority remains ensuring the safety of the public.”
