Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2023 Mar 22;14(1):1-7.
doi: 10.5365/wpsar.2023.14.1.974. eCollection 2023 Jan-Mar.

A descriptive assessment of the National Institute of Public Health's contribution to the COVID-19 response in Cambodia, 2020-2021

Srean Chhim  1 , Wuddhika In Vong  1 , Kimsorn Pa  1 , Chanboroth Chhorn  1 , Tambri Housen  2   3 , Amy Elizabeth Parry  3 , Wim Van Damme  4 , Por Ir  1 , Chhorvann Chhea  1
Affiliations
Review

A descriptive assessment of the National Institute of Public Health's contribution to the COVID-19 response in Cambodia, 2020-2021

Srean Chhim et al. Western Pac Surveill Response J. .

Abstract

Objective: This paper examines the contributions made by the National Institute of Public Health to Cambodia's response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic during 2020-2021.

Methods: The activities conducted by the Institute were compared with adaptations of the nine pillars of the World Health Organization's 2020 COVID-19 strategic preparedness and response plan. To gather relevant evidence, we reviewed national COVID-19 testing data, information about COVID-19-related events documented by Institute staff, and financial and technical reports of the Institute's activities.

Results: The main contributions the Institute made were to the laboratory pillar and the incident management and planning pillar. The Institute tested more than 50% of the 2 575 391 samples for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) testing and provided technical advice about establishing 18 new laboratories for SARS-CoV-2 testing in the capital city of Phnom Penh and 11 provinces. The Institute had representatives on many national committees and coauthored national guidelines for implementing rapid COVID-19 testing, preventing transmission in health-care facilities and providing treatment. The Institute contributed to six other pillars, but had no active role in risk communication and community engagement.

Discussion: The Institute's support was essential to the COVID-19 response in Cambodia, especially for laboratory services and incident management and planning. Based on the contributions made by the Institute during the COVID-19 pandemic, continued investment in it will be critical to allow it to support responses to future health emergencies in Cambodia.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

SC, IVW, PK, C Chhorn, PI and C Chhea work at NIPH. These authors may have positive bias toward NIPH. AP is an associate editor of Western Pacific Surveillance and Response. She was not involved in the editorial decision to publish this manuscript.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Number of samples tested daily for COVID-19 at the National Institute of Public Health, Cambodia, 2020–2021
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. COVID-19 strategic preparedness and response plan: 1 February 2021 to 31 January 2022. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2021. Available from: https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/340072, accessed 18 April 2022.
    1. WHO coronavirus (COVID-19) dashboard: Cambodia [online database]. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2022. Available from: https://covid19.who.int/region/wpro/country/kh, accessed 18 April 2022.
    1. Nit B, Samy AL, Tan SL, Vory S, Lim Y, Nugraha RR, et al. Understanding the slow COVID-19 trajectory of Cambodia. Public Health Pract (Oxf). 2021. Nov;2:100073. 10.1016/j.puhip.2020.100073 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV): strategic preparedness and response plan. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2020. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/strategic-preparedness-and-respo..., accessed 26 April 2022.
    1. You V, Man S, Keo K, Tam N, Chhea C. A lesson learnt from setting up Covid-19 testing services at provincial hospital laboratories during the pandemic in Cambodia. Cambodia J Public Health. 2021;2(14):2–7.