The Post journalist Neang Sopheap won the ‘Best Online Report of the Year [International] Award’. Hean Rangsey
The Phnom Penh Post won a top international award at the Medical Travel Media Awards 2020 (MTMA 2020) competition that was held in Malaysia on December 10.
The Post journalist Neang Sopheap won the “Best Online Report of the Year [International] Award” for his article titled Malaysia’s medical sector welcomes patients worldwide in all weathers, which was published in October.
Sopheap also emerged second in the Best Print Report (International) category and third in the Best Medical Travel Journalist of the Year Award section.
The annual competition is organised by the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC), a government agency entrusted with the responsibility of curating the country’s healthcare travel scene.
The MTMA competition aims to recognise outstanding reports and articles by journalists, editors, producers, and media organisations for their contribution in promoting Malaysia’s medical travel industry.
This year, the second annual MTMA competition and its finale were conducted online from the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The organisers received 400 entries from 11 countries.
Sopheap said: “I am very delighted to receive this award; it’s a nice year-end gift. I was researching about healthcare facilities and medical tourism in ASEAN and found that Malaysia has world-class facilities and good doctors. Malaysia offers affordable medical care to foreigners and it is still welcoming foreigners for treatment.
“I also would like to thank MHTC for organising this competition to encourage the international media to highlight the healthcare sector, and also to engage the media to promote this sector. This actually provided an opportunity for journalists like me to write on this topic, which is also my favourite topic.
“I would also like to thank my colleagues, especially my editors and designer, who helped in putting out this article beautifully.
“I am also grateful to all my Malaysian friends for this wonderful win. I am happy to put the Phnom Penh Post on the international stage. This award is good for the Phnom Penh Post and also for the Cambodian media.”
Commenting on the success of the MTMA 2020, MHTC CEO Sherene Azli said the secretariat received a record 400 submissions from 11 countries in addition to Malaysia, namely Indonesia, Brunei, Cambodia, Bangladesh, South Korea, China, Vietnam, India, the UK, Croatia, and Tunisia. The number of submissions marked an increase of 60 per cent from last year.
The MTMA2020, Sherene said, shone a light on the dedication by both local and international media despite the constraints presented by the pandemic.
“This year’s awards celebrate the contribution of the media as front liners in their own right. The media are vital sources of information and have never ceased to serve the public by educating and keeping us informed during these times of crisis,” Sherene said.
