Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Preah Sihanouk gets Covid-19 lab

Preah Sihanouk gets Covid-19 lab

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
Minister of Health Mam Bun Heng (centre), Minister of Environment Say Sam Al (right) and provincial governor Kouch Chamroeun (left) inspected the hospital in Commune IV, Sihanoukville on Sunday. Preah Sihanouk provincial administration

Preah Sihanouk gets Covid-19 lab

Preah Sihanouk province will become the second after Siem Reap to have a laboratory to test for Covid-19 after a plan was approved to build one at the Preah Sihanouk Provincial Referral Hospital.

On Sunday, Minister of Health Mam Bun Heng, Minister of Environment Say Sam Al and provincial governor Kouch Chamroeun inspected the hospital in Commune IV, Sihanoukville. The laboratory is set to start construction soon.

Bun Heng said the equipment for the laboratory will be shipped in from China.

Provincial Department of Health director Lim Samean told The Post on Monday that the laboratory will be used to test for general diseases and Covid-19.

The laboratory will eliminate the need to send samples to Phnom Penh to be analysed. An average of 200 to 300 samples are shipped from Preah Sihanouk to the capital every day.

“Every day, Preah Sihanouk province still has [passenger] flights landing regularly. Sometimes we send 300 to 400 samples to test in Phnom Penh [per day]. And some days there are only 50-60 samples,” he said.

Provincial hall spokesman Kheang Phearum said people travelling from abroad, including investors and tourists,especially from China, have to send their samples to be tested at the Institut Pasteur du Cambodge (IPC) in Phnom Penh.

“It takes at least two days to receive the results. It does not meet the necessary and practical needs in Preah Sihanouk province which is why we need the laboratory,” he said.

Phearum said the province accepts three flights per week from abroad, although some weeks fewer than that arrive. He said most of the flights carry Chinese investors, as tourists are still scarce due to Covid-19.

Ministry of Health spokeswoman Or Vandine didn’t respond to The Post’s queries on Monday.

Two weeks ago, Siem Reap province launched a laboratory at its provincial referral hospital capable of Covid-19 testing.

Siem Reap provincial Department of Health director Kros Sarath said an old laboratory was renovated to allow for Covid testing.

He said the laboratory can test between 50 and 60 samples per day but currently processes about 20 per day, mostly from Cambodians returning from Thailand.

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