Prime Minister Hun Manet called for the modernization and diversification of national health services before the establishment of regional hospitals. These hospitals are designed to decentralize the treatment of key diseases within their respective areas.
At the groundbreaking ceremony for the new building at Calmette Hospital on September 16, he said regular improvement of healthcare services is essential to meeting patient expectations and increasing public trust in the healthcare system. He highlighted the importance of enhancing mechanisms to monitor and evaluate the quality of health services in place.
In addition to improvements, the Health Ministry must modernize and diversify healthcare from the national level down to local health centers, he said, stressing that strengthening the capacity of local health services was key.
Modernizing and diversifying national hospitals will enable the decentralization of critical disease treatments in regional hospitals. The government plans to establish regional hospitals in Kampong Cham and Siem Reap, which will reduce the need for patients to travel long distances to Phnom Penh to seek treatment for serious illnesses.
“In future, [patients] will not need to go to the same place [national hospitals in Phnom Penh]. The next step is to establish regional hospitals, so people won’t have to travel far and there will be less congestion in Phnom Penh,” Hun Manet said.
Furthermore, he added, the capacity of regional hospitals must be enhanced while the overall condition of hospitals in the country needs improvement, which would also reduce people’s reliance on services outside the country.
Some Cambodians go for medical treatment and check-ups abroad, while there have been criticisms of certain hospitals in Cambodia offering poor quality care, including concerns about doctors’ ethics and professionalism that failed to meet people’s needs.
According to Health Minister Chheang Ra, one of the newly inaugurated buildings in Calmette is the “cyclotron building”, which will provide significant benefits for patients, especially those with cancer.
It is equipped with a modern cyclotron machine, the facility will produce radiology medicines to diagnose and treat cancer, heart disease, neurological disorders, and other illnesses via the advanced nuclear medical techniques.
While modernizing medical equipment was important, Hun Manet said improving human resources in the health sector was equally crucial. Thus, he called for stricter standards when selecting healthcare personnel, ensuring that only those with the right expertise are chosen.
“Training must guarantee quality because quality safeguards human life and the reputation of our health sector. If we want the health sector to grow and gain public trust, we need to strengthen our capacity to care for people. Training must be regular and of high quality, focusing on life-saving skills rather than quantity,” he said.
Hun Manet also introduced the collaboration with the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications to accelerate the digital revolution in the health sector to improve the national health database, enhancing treatment effectiveness, health monitoring, and consultation.
Health Ministry director-general Dr Hok Kim Cheng did not respond.
Siem Reap provincial health department director Kros Sarath declined to comment, noting that he did not respond to reporters by telephone.
Director of Kampong Cham Provincial Health Department, Kim Sour Phirun, did not respond.
San Chey, executive director of The Affiliated Network for Social Accountability, said it was good that the government was planning to establish a regional hospital.
However, Chey added, the establishment of regional hospitals should focus on needs and ensure that focus on major diseases do not overlap with the specialties offered in provincial hospitals.
“I think regional hospitals should exist based on needs,” he mentioned. A study of the specialties that regional hospitals could focus on should be done as there are many provincial hospitals focusing on different areas.
“Thus, regional hospitals should also consider what specialties to focus on. If the patient can find other specialized treatment services [at the provincial hospital], the regional hospital should not be considered a priority.”
However, if regional hospitals provide important medical services that provincial hospitals do not have, it would also help people who cannot afford to seek medical treatment in Phnom Penh because of the high cost, Chey said.
