Thong Khon urges sporting entities to secure HEF cards
SENIOR Minister and president of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC) Thong Khon has called for all national sports federations to appoint working groups to ensure that applications are made for health equity fund (HEF) cards for any athletes that require them.
The HEF is a non-contributory health coverage scheme, designed to guarantee that free healthcare and treatment is available to those members of society who cannot afford it, or are not members of the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), which requires contributions from employers and employees.
Khon’s instruction stems from the fact that some of the Kingdom’s federations failed to apply for HEF cards in 2022.
The Olympic committee has conducted two issuances of HEF cards from the government in the past. In 2019, it issued 359 cards to athletes and support staff from 16 sporting federations, and in 2020 it issued 546 cards to the members of 15 federations.
Kon addressed a December 19 gathering of representatives from Cambodia’s 51 sporting federations, held at NOCC headquarters.
“Most members of our senior national teams do not have HEF or NSSF cards, unless they are civil servants or private sector employees whose healthcare is provided by their government institution or employer. This is why I insist that this work is carried out as soon as possible. If there are any problems, we will request that the government issue more cards. We must make sure this gets done,” he told them.
“We have done this twice in the past, so let’s do it again. If each federation assigns some staff members to work directly with the NOCC, I do not think it will be a complex task. As long as our documentation is in order, applications for HEF cards for our athletes should be completed in three weeks,” he added.
Vath Chamroeun, NOCC secretary-general and secretary of state at the Ministry of Education,
Youth, and Sport in charge of sport, explained that the issuance of HEF cards will give athletes the confidence they need to train as hard as possible.
“As national-level sporting federations, we must take responsibility for the well-being of our key sportsmen and women. Supporting their health is a key part of supporting their training regimes. If we do not arrange access to healthcare for them, they may lack the confidence to train at the level they need to, in order to perform on the international stage.
“They will not train to the limit, as they will be fearful of becoming injured when no free treatment is available. This is a problem that only athletes understand,” he said.
“When I was a wrestler, I trained in Korea for two years before I competed at the Olympic Games. When I arrived there, I signed a twoyear contract which guaranteed free healthcare and treatment. I was confident of pushing myself when I trained. I knew if I suffered a sprain or a fracture, doctors would be available to take care of me, and I would not have to worry about how I was going to pay for it,” he added.