Cambodia has made significant improvements on its health indicators but challenges remain. USAID continues to support Cambodia’s efforts to reduce the burden of infectious diseases; reduce infant mortality, under-5 mortality, and maternal mortality; and increase access to quality health services. While achieving the 2015 Millennium Development Goal targets (for infant mortality, under-5 mortality, maternal mortality, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS) ahead of schedule, Cambodia’s maternal and newborn mortality rates are still among the highest in Southeast Asia. One-third of children are stunted from poor nutrition, HIV remains high in specific populations, and Cambodia remains among the countries with the highest burden of tuberculosis.

USAID also works through the regional "One Health Workforce-Next Generation" network to train Cambodian health professionals from the Ministries of Health and Agriculture as well as academic institutions to prevent, detect, and respond to human and zoonotic disease threats such as COVID-19.

RESULTS

Over the past five years USAID has:

  • Strengthened the Health Equity Fund management system and successfully transferred its management to the Cambodian government, allowing more than three million poor Cambodians to access services free of charge.
  • Helped to reduce the HIV prevalence from 1.7 percent in 1998 to 0.6 percent in 2020 by improving the quality of HIV services, developing innovative ways of finding the last cases, and improving the cost-effectiveness of the HIV response.
  • Programmed over $16 million in supplemental COVID-19 funding to assist in Cambodia’s pandemic response. This support included the provision of virtual learning equipment to 46 hospitals and national health departments; risk communication materials that reached more than ten million Cambodians; and the training of over 7,900 health providers on techniques for COVID-19 infection prevention and control.
  • Distributed over 37,000 insecticide-treated nets in target areas and educated over 59,000 people through malaria screening and testing. Cambodia has had no malaria fatalities since 2018.
  • Trained staff in 47-health centers and three referral hospitals on the management of the tuberculosis Management Information System.