Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday hailed the inauguration of a private multi-million dollar hospital in Phnom Penh believed to meet international standards, newspapers report.
Hun Sen said that the operation of Royal Ratanak Hospital, a six-flour structure built in a joint venture between Cambodian and Thai investors at the cost of US$7.5 million, will contribute significantly to the country's health sector, reports Kampuchea Thmey.
"I hope that Royal Ratanak Hosptial will solve concerns not only facing Cambodian citizens, but also investors, business people and tourists from overseas looking for medical checkup and treatment," the premier said in an speech during the inaugural ceremony, according to the newspaper.
Hun Sen also took the opportunity to urge Cambodians to seek medical treatment at home rather than outside the country, thus saving expenditure, reports Rasmei Kampuchea.
"Cambodians should get medical check-up services here rather going abroad. Cambodia has a modern and reliable hospital," The Mekong Times quotes Hun Sen as saying.
"Every year, tens of thousands of our citizens leave for foreign countries [including Vietnam, Thailand and Singapore] for medical checkups," he added, according to Rasmei Kampuchea.
Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) lawmaker Yim Sovann told The Mekong Times that he was pleased with Hun Sen's comments, but added that it is crucial to improve the nation's entire health sector, claiming most public heath centers currently offer poor services or demand bribes from patients.
"We support the appeal for Cambodians to receive treatment services in this country because it would benefit Cambodia and create jobs," the politician said. "However, we request the government beef up the quality of public health services, with medical practitioners following their code of ethics and not committing corruption."
Management of the Royal Ratanak Hospital expressed optimism about the plans of the center, which has 61 medical practitioners-30 Thai and 31 Cambodian.
"We will upgrade the facility into a 'five-star' hospital to win clients' confidence and attract them to quit their plans to get overseas services," said Soontorn Sritha, managing director of the hospital, reports The Mekong Times.
"We hope that the hospital with internationally recognized services will not only attract Cambodian people to receive local health services, but also more tourists to Cambodia," he added.
This article first appeared in The Mekong Times
The Mekong Times is a daily newspaper distributed in Cambodia.
And also available via Subscription
Click here to print the subscription Application
