Siem Reap Province

HEALTH Ministry officials on Thursday said they had resolved a dispute between workers at Angkor Chum district hospital and operational district director Mak Sam Oeun that came to a head late last week when 45 staff members began protesting.

The protesters accused Mak Sam Oeun of treating them cruelly and preventing them from providing private health services outside district facilities to supplement their incomes.

Mak Sam Oeun rejected the protesters’ allegations, saying he was simply preventing unlicenced medical practitioners from operating in his district.

Keut Meach, director general of the Administration and Finance Department at the Health Ministry, said tensions had been defused after he attended a meeting between the two sides on Wednesday.

“The problem existed because they did not understand each other,” he said. “I believe that the work will be better after this facilitation. They all agreed, and I gave my name cards to many protesting staff, and they have the right to call me if they see any irregularity” on Mak Sam Oeun’s part.

Keut Meach said he had advised Mak Sam Oeun to consult staffers before relocating them to new health clinics, and had told doctors who wanted to operate private clinics that they would still have to file applications through Mak Sam Oeun.

Sieng Kheng, a doctor at Angkor Chum district hospital, said he was pleased that around 60 percent of the terms his team had demanded had been met, but said he would lead another protest if any of the agreements were violated.

Mak Sam Oeun could not be reached for comment on Thursday.