Health Care in Cambodia
Cambodia's population density is quite variable - some provinces are isolated and mountainous and some are populated and fertile so the country's health care needs and services vary greatl but many of the health problems facing Cambodia are exacerbated by the country's isolation from the Western world. During the Sihanouk and Lon Nol regimes in the 1960s and up until 1975, bombing and guerrilla warfare finished with the entire health care system was destroyed: equipment, supplies, and personnel, along with major infrastructure: transportation, power, wáter and sanitation. But reconstruction began, and now health is one of the government's five priorities.
Lack of adequate water, sanitation, education, transportation, and communication have caused huge problems in the development of the health system. The most common diseases in Cambodia today are related to problems with water and sanitation.
People have difficulty obtaining health care. Besides geographical
and physical barriers, trained health personnel from Phnom Penh are
reluctant to be isolated in distant locations. Many provinces lack
antibiotics and other medicines; many do not have cold storage
facilities, so vaccine distribution, already difficult due to transportation
problems, is next to impossible. Health care is in theory free for
all citizens, but in fact there are many charges for services, and
when supplies are unavailable in hospitals the patient must purchase
them on the open market. Each province has a separate budget, and
provinces receive different amounts of humanitarian aid.
According to Dr. My Samedy, the dean of the faculty of Medicine,
the most important health problems are malnutrition, malaria,
tuberculosis, and diarrheal diseases. The Department of Epidemiology
in Phnom Penh states that "prevention is better than treatment."
The Department of Epidemiology has been working with UNICEF on primary health care, and distributes preventative health educational materials via radio, television, newspaper, posters, seminars with flip charts, and audio-visual displays.
Cambodia has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world. NGO health personnel report that the major causes of child death are diarrhea, dengue hemorrhagic fever, malaria, respiratory infections, and malnutrition. The PMI (the Department of maternal and Infant Protection), working with assistance from several of the NGOs and UNICEF, has trying to improve prenatal and infant and child health through education and direct care. The PMI has trained staff in all provinces, in provinces more than others. Training has been inconsistent, but the structure appears to be in place.
Humanitarian assistance has been limited in Cambodia. The current Cambodian government is not recognized at the United Nations, bilateral aid from Western countries and multilateral development aid (other than emergency aid) have not been available in Cambodia. Humanitarian assistance is also impeded by limited access to the countryside due to security problems and restrictions on the number of visas available to foreign aid workers. The humanitarian aid agencies working in Cambodia are helping the government develop plans to absorb increased aid after a political settlement.
The health problems facing Cambodia are exacerbated by the country's isolation from the Western world but a political settlement, and other steps to reintegrate Cambodia into the international community, are essential for the rebuilding of this shattered country.
Taken from: http://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/cambodia/health-care-cambodia