Prime Minister Hun Sen announced via Facebook on Friday that the cost of the final exam sat by university students seeking government accreditation to practice medicine will be reduced from $125 to just $25.
The price slash was in response to a Facebook post by medical student Darapiseth Sokha, who called on the PM to intervene after students had failed to convince the exam board after multiple protests at the University of Health Sciences.
“I hope that the 1433 students will feel better with this help with their spending, so that they have some money left over to support their livelihood,” Hun Sen’s post reads.
The prime minister said he had already cleared the price reduction with the health minister and an official request from the Council of Ministers would be issued in the coming days.
Sokha, the medical student, thanked the premier with a public Facebook post.
“All the medical students are happy with that and thank you to Samdech Hun Sen for bringing down the costs for the national medical student,” he wrote.
Thon Rasmey, a former medical student and protest leader, said after years of lobbying the exam board the price cut was welcomed, even though he had passed the exam over a year ago.
The premier’s gesture is just the latest in a recent series of unilateral concessions to everyday Cambodians, which experts have characterised as a bid to shore up popular support.
