Health - Foundation Office Cambodia

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Health

by Sun Chhai

The article is part of the book series Cambodia 2040, which is published by Future Forum and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Cambodia. Enjoy the read!

Over the past two decades, an increasing number of low-income and middle-income countries, such as Brazil, India, Mexico, Rwanda, South Africa, and Thailand, have started implementing programs to provide Universal Healthcare (Fried et al., 2013). Countries have different approaches to finance their healthcare system. Regardless, the common means to increase government public expenditure on the healthcare sector. As depicted by the World Bank’s data from 2010 to 2016, countries in Southeast Asia have raised public government expenditure in recent years. Cambodia, Lao, and Myanmar, however, remain at the bottom with domestic general government health expenditure below 1.5 percent of GDP.

July 7, 2020 Ordering Information

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Why should I read this chapter? ... because healthy people are more happy people!

Mr. Sun Chhai's vision for Cambodia's health industry in 2040:

Cambodia has achieved a Universal Healthcare model.
The government have obtained effective funding management mechanisms for both public expenditure and international donor funding around the kingdom’s healthcare sector.
The and MoH have focused on improving both supply and demand side issues. On the supply side, they have increased the number of well-trained and professional nurses and health specialists to provide good care to patients. On the demand side, medical education programs and health literacy have been prioritised nationally.

Short story:

Proloeng has finished a long day developing code for Kingdom Games, a startup firm based in Phnom Penh that aims to break into the global e-game market. As is normal on Thursdays, he is heading to football practice in Toul Tompoung’s expanded sports district. Today, however, he must stop by the pharmacist en route to pick up his wife’s cold and flu medication. Thankfully the process is effortless, as his wife has already sent across her prescription with a note that Proloeng will collect. All he needs to do is confirm his identity through his Cambodian Carte Vitale, and pick it up, and unlike years before, no payment is required. Having picked up the prescription, Proloeng continues on to football. One hour into training he finds himself on the wrong end of a tackle and requires hospital treatment. Fortunately, the ambulance is able to arrive within thirty minutes and take him to the hospital for x-rays. It turns out that Proloeng has suffered a broken leg requiring three months of crutches and rehabilitation. While frustrated by the idea of not being able to play his favorite sport for some time, Proloeng reminds himself that he is lucky to live in a country that takes care of its ill and infirmed. The combination of no upfront medical costs under universal coverage and a well-trained medical workforce help to remove a considerable burden when it comes to medical treatment.

Read here the full academic text!