Chinese-organized technical course enhances Cambodian health staff’s capacity to combat tropical diseases

PHNOM PENH, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) — A Chinese-organized technical training course on tropical disease control and prevention concluded here in the capital of Cambodia on Friday, which helped boost the capacity of Cambodian health personnel in response to the spread of tropical diseases, officials said.
Presented by experts from China’s Hainan Provincial Administration for Disease Control and Prevention, the training course was taken by more than 30 administrative and technical health personnel from affected provinces in the Southeast Asian country.
Heng Sokkung, secretary of state for Cambodia’s Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation, and head of the Doctor Alliance of the Union of Youth Federations of Cambodia, said the course was essential to improve local health staff’s prevention and control techniques for tropical diseases.
“This training course and free clinic activities are vital to help strengthen the capacity of Cambodian health personnel in controlling and preventing the spread of tropical diseases such as malaria and dengue fever,” he said at the closing ceremony of the two-day training course.
He expressed his profound gratitude to the government and people of China for having provided a great deal of assistance to Cambodia for the development and modernization of the kingdom’s health sector, saying that their support has greatly contributed to protecting the well-being of Cambodian people.
Tropical diseases such as dengue fever and malaria remain health concerns in Cambodia. The kingdom recorded 7,058 dengue fever cases in the first half of 2024, with 24 deaths, and 1,384 malaria cases in 2023, with no deaths, according to official health reports.
Or Paireatrei, a 37-year-old doctor at the Preah Ket Mealea Hospital in Phnom Penh, said the training course was really useful for daily work in diagnosing and treating tropical diseases.
“I’m very grateful to the Chinese experts for spending their valuable time to help train Cambodian health personnel in this two-day training course,” Paireatrei added.
Hay Songchhay, a 29-year-old doctor at a private clinic in Phnom Penh, said this training course has provided the participants an insight into tropical diseases such as dengue fever and malaria.
“Currently, it is the rainy season (in Cambodia), so the two diseases have been spreading,” he told Xinhua. “I’m very pleased to attend this training course because it helps strengthen and expand my knowledge.” ■