The Ministry of Health, World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF in Cambodia are discussing the implementation of the Kingdom’s Primary Healthcare Booster (PHC Booster) programme, which aims to ensure that people in the community know how to take thorough care of their health.

Or Vandine – ministry secretary of state and chair of the Taskforce to develop and manage the Primary Health Care Booster Implementation Framework (TPHC Booster) – discussed the topic during a May 31 meeting with WHO representative to Cambodia Li Ailan and UNICEF country representative Foroogh Foyouzat, among other senior officials.

In a press statement, the ministry said the purpose of the meeting was to present the process of developing the framework. It also aimed to find common ground for cooperation within the TPHC Booster taskforce that implements the framework.

“Our main goal is that we want people in the community to be responsible for their primary healthcare – using what we learned from our experience in the fight against Covid-19,” Vandine said after the meeting.

She said this will not be achieved in the short term but will need between 10 and 20 years to evaluate whether the health of the people has been improved.

“What we want to see is better overall health. We want to reduce morbidity and mortality rates, and make sure that people know how to protect their families from transmitting various diseases and ensure they reduce their risk of non-communicable diseases,” she said.

To this end, she said the ministry has established the TPHC Booster taskforce.

In mid-May, the ministry urged Austrian healthcare investors to support the project to provide medical services and prevent non-communicable diseases, and to invest in medical technology to improve primary healthcare with the goal of achieving Global Universal Health Coverage.