Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - PM appeals for more specialised medical personnel deployment

PM appeals for more specialised medical personnel deployment

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
PM Hun Sen has ordered the deployment of more specialised medical staff at public hospitals throughout the country, especially in rural areas. Heng Chivoan

PM appeals for more specialised medical personnel deployment

Prime Minister Hun Sen has ordered the deployment of more specialised medical staff at public hospitals throughout the country, especially in rural areas, to meet rising demands, strengthen the public health sector and reduce the number of people seeking medical help abroad.

Speaking at the Ministry of Health’s annual meeting on Tuesday, Hun Sen said people face difficulty in obtaining medical service when they resettle, especially in border areas that lack health facilities.

“I continue to appeal for deployment of more specialised medical staff. As you know, more than 20 years ago, in 1996 or 1997, the figure that I obtained from my team’s direct observation showed that there was 70 per cent of medical staff in the city and only 30 per cent in densely populated areas,” he said.

Working together

The prime minister urged the Ministry of Health, relevant institutions and authorities at all levels to work together in strengthening the country’s public health sector to regain public confidence through quality treatment and efficient medical services. Seeking medical help abroad, he said, is costly and time-consuming.

“You need to jointly prepare effective strategies in developing human resources in the health sector and strengthening medical staff’s abilities through quality training before and when they start work."

“You also have to work together in developing a database system for human resources management in the health sector and in deploying well-qualified medical staff, especially in rural areas,” he said.

Hun Sen went on to advise medical staff from all over the country against concentrating in urban centres and instead reach out to people living in rural areas, where medical services remain scarce.

Medical staff a priority

Oddar Meanchey provincial Health Department director Klok Huot told The Post on Tuesday that there are enough medical staff in the province. What is still lacking, he said, is the availability of specialists to meet growing demands.

“As suggested by Samdech [Hun Sen], the ministry has laid out plans to deploy medical staff throughout the country, particularly in rural areas that remain our priority,” he said.

Huot held high hopes that the Kingdom’s public health system will regain the people’s trust in the near future.

Ratanakkiri provincial Health Department director Ung Ratana applauded the planned deployment of more specialised medical staff. He said while the province currently has enough medical staff, his department is getting prepared for the increasing population and subsequent growing demands.

“When the population increases, the demands for medical staff will also rise so we have to be well prepared,” he said.

According to a Ministry of Health report, there are currently 25,438 medical staff in the country’s public health sector, of which 19,710, or 77 per cent, are deployed throughout the country.

MOST VIEWED

  • 12th Cambodia int’l film festival to see return of Hollywood star

    Phnom Penh is set to come alive with the magic of cinema as the highly anticipated 12th Cambodia International Film Festival (CIFF) takes centre stage. Boasting an impressive line-up of 188 films from 23 countries, including captivating shorts, feature films, documentaries and animation, the festival promises an

  • Brawl marrs football final as Indonesian take gold in seven goal thriller

    The Indonesian men's U22 men national football team were crowned champions of the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia, defeating Thailand 5-2 in extra time on May 16 at Olympic National Stadium in Phnom Penh. The match was marred by an ugly incident that occured in the 91

  • Bareknuckle champion wants Kun Khmer fighter

    Dave Leduc, who is the current openweight Lethwei boxing champion in Myanmar, has announced that he will travel to Cambodia this year to challenge SEA Games gold medallist Prum Samnang any time that is convenient, after their planned match later this month in Slovakia was

  • Candlelight Party disqualified from July general election

    The National Election Committee (NEC) has disqualified the Candlelight Party (CP) from contesting the upcoming general election, citing a lack of valid documentation. NEC spokesman Khorn Keomono said the CP failed to fulfil one of the three main requirements: including original documentation proving their registration

  • Thong Khon calls for orderly SEA Games closing ceremony

    Thong Khon, Minister of Tourism and permanent vice-president of the Cambodia SEA Games Organising Committee (CAMSOC), calls on all people who have received tickets to the May 17 closing ceremony of the biennial multi-sports extravaganza at the Morodok Techo National Stadium to ensure that the event

  • 1.4 billion dollar Phnom Penh-Bavet expressway due in four years

    The Government, through the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, has officially signed a public-private partnership agreement with a private company for the construction of a Phnom Penh-Bavet Expressway project that will connect the capital to Svay Rieng province. The budget for the project is