When the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020, few countries were prepared for the virus that was rapidly spreading across the globe. Cambodia was no exception. However, to its credit, the Ministry of Health responded swiftly with a COVID-19 National Action Plan that introduced measures to improve case detection and management and increase the availability of critical medical supplies and equipment. The action plan also initiated broader measures to strengthen Cambodia’s health system that today are providing a sure footing for Cambodia to tackle future emergencies.
The national action plan provided an all-of-government approach to respond to the public health emergency and socio-economic havoc caused by COVID. International collaboration was crucial to its success and provided timely support for the action plan’s four strategic objectives: reduce and delay transmission, minimize serious disease and reduce associated deaths, ensure ongoing essential health services, and minimize social and economic impact.
The World Bank’s support to the Ministry of Health, through the US$24.61 million Cambodia COVID-19 Emergency Response Project, helped the country fill critical gaps in implementing the national action plan. This included increasing the diagnostic capacity for laboratories attached to 14 provincial and municipal referral hospitals and procuring much-needed medical equipment and supplies such as ventilators, patient monitors, and X-ray machines. It built on the US$14 million assistance that was already being channeled through the Contingency Emergency Response Component (CERC) of the Health Equity and Quality Improvement Project. CERC was used to quickly upgrade the capacity of two national laboratories, construct and equip two regional laboratories for testing COVID-19, and purchase ambulances and medical equipment for referral and treatment of patients at COVID-19 treatment centers.
World Bank support also helped establish the Emergency Operating Center for the Department of Communicable Disease Control and all 25 provincial health department offices. This became a crucial hub for daily communication on case tracing, status of community outbreaks, referral, and treatment. The project also supplied equipment to keep vaccines cold during transportation and storage, as well as syringes, alcohol wipes, and other consumables needed for COVID-19 vaccination.
Cambodia’s COVID-19 response effort reaffirms that strong coordination between government and development partners leads to faster and more effective deployment of resources. Close consultation between the government, the World Bank, United Nations agencies, and other development partners quickly prioritized activities laid out in the COVID-19 National Action Plan. This allowed development partners to avoid overlaps in funding and coordinate financing with the government.
With this coordinated, well-resourced approach, Cambodia effectively responded to immediate threats posed by the pandemic. Today, 95% of its population has been vaccinated against the virus.
Beyond immediate response efforts, Cambodia’s government initiated several activities that continue enhancing readiness for future health emergencies. It awarded a contract to renovate and upgrade the National Reference Laboratory at the National Institute of Public Health into becoming Cambodia’s first national Biosafety Level 3 laboratory capable of handling high-risk pathogen bacteria and highly contagious viruses including viral cultures of COVID-19. This is an essential element in conducting surveillance, monitoring outbreaks diagnosing diseases undertaking important public health research.
The Department of Communicable Disease Control is developing a Pandemic Management System for effective data collection management consolidation with real-time dashboard visualization ensuring better preparation readiness managing pandemic data future Additionally Cambodia growing capacity prevent prepare respond future pandemic threats “One Health” approach combining human animal environmental health Drawing Pandemic Fund grant Cambodia Pandemic Prevention Preparedness Response Project aims build reforms undertaken during pandemic increase capability capacity surveillance laboratory services human resources