Community Mapping for Remote Areas​ in Cambodia

In the age of globalization and development in the country, Cambodia has hastily been improving various sectors through the frog-step development of the government. Within the public health service, it remains insufficient, especially for the poor. The utilization rate in most public health facilities is low because facilities are poorly equipped, far-away health centers, lack of drugs, low quality of services, and inhospitable service providers mainly in the remote villages of provinces. Among those pity villages, Lac 62 village in Kam Rieng District, Battambang province, has faced some of these difficulties such as long distant road to the health center, more frequencies of visiting health center, and lack of transportation. Due to the far-way distant from the village, information and communication between community and health center becomes feeble. Pregnant women or ill people are hard to reach the health center in case of emergency. Village Help Support Group (VHSG) is inactive mostly and mumbles because of their family income. Some of them decided to migrate to other provinces or across the border to Thailand for earning their living. In this response, relevant government institutions should establish staying rooms nearby health centers to keep patients or pregnant women from returning home without receiving the health services. Development partners and relevant organizations should support the incentive or other motivation to VHSG for referring patients and participating in any meetings with health centers.

Meeting on Implementation of Prakas No. 66 in Battambang

[BATTAMBANG] National AIDS Authority (NAA) organized the series of meetings to disseminate and strengthen the implementation of Prakas 66 and NAA’s decision No. 482. The meeting was organized on 15 June 2011 at Kemara Battambang Hotel with approximately 150 participants from Provincial AIDS Committee (PAC), owners of establishments and beer gardens, police, local authorities, court, deputy commander in chief and NGOs.

H.E Kim Norn, a Provincial Governor of Battambang province, delivered a welcome speech and updated the achievement of implementing the Prakas 66 in Battambang province. Local authorities cooperated with owners of establishments to implement the Prakas 66 such as encouraging the owners to send their employees to do VCCT. Furthermore, PAC cooperated with NAA to facilitate the implementation of Prakas 66. Within this progress, there were some remaining challenges and issues which altogether need to solve. He also encouraged participants to raise the questions which are concerning to the obstacles to the guest speakers for finding common solutions and solve together.

H.E Dr. Chea Som An, Deputy Director of National AIDS Authority, addressed the speech and opened the meeting. He repeatedly mentioned the objectives of this meeting. Because HIV/AIDS remained the concern of the world and the apprehension of the appeared second wave, National AIDS Authority endeavored to disseminate and strengthen the implementation of effective Prakas 66, particularly among the establishments, beer gardens, and Karaoke clubs.

Prakas 66 was framed and distributed to owners of establishments, beer gardens, guest houses, Karaoke, and clubs and then the meeting was closed.