All nations must unite to beat Covid-19, Bun Heng tells regional WHO forum
MINISTER of Health Mam Bun Heng said the whole world could not completely win the fight against Covid-19 unless all countries unite as one in the battle.
On public health, he said Cambodia has been cooperating with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to improve the people’s wellbeing through the development and implementation of stronger policies. The WHO has been providing support and technical advice to assist the Kingdom in creating a more equitable and sustainable public health system.
Bun Heng was addressing the 4th Regional Forum of WHO Collaborating Centres in the Western Pacific, held on November 28-29 in Siem Reap province with more than 200 people from WHO member countries in the Western Pacific in attendance.
“Cambodiahasfullyreopened the country to socio-economic activities since November, 2021. These achievements were made possible … with the support of the WHO and all development partners, as well as the participation of society as a whole,” he said.
“This joint effort has enabled Cambodia to succeed in the battle to control the pandemic and ensure the sustainability of our health system, especially the provision of essential services across the country, but the world cannot successfully win against Covid-19 unless all countries are working together as one,” he said.
He said he is proud that Cambodia has become a model country for all low-income and developing nations to follow towards their health goals.
According to the health ministry, the WHO has been supporting the Kingdom’s health sector both technically and financially during the Covid19 outbreak. They include human resources capacity building, and financial support and supplies, which improved Cambodia’s preparation and response to the global Covid19 outbreak, while increasing its core capacity for managing emergencies and threats to health security.
At the event, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised the government and health ministry for successfully responding to Covid-19 by vaccinating most of the country, which led to a relatively rapid reopening of the country in all sectors.
He also thanked Cambodia for playing host to the fourth WHO Western Pacific forum, which had been suspended since 2020 due to the pandemic.