KOICA DONATING US$ 1,2 MILLION TO A PROJECT “CONTROL OF VECTORBORNE DISEASES”

KOICA DONATING US$ 1,2 MILLION TO A PROJECT “CONTROL OF VECTORBORNE DISEASES” 

[THE PRESS RELEASE WAS PUBLISHED IN RASMEI KAMPUCHEA DAILY NEWSPAPER, DATED 30 March 2011, Vol. 19, NO. 5467]

Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has donated US$ 1,200,000 to support a project “strengthening control of vectorborne diseases to lessen the impact of climate change in Cambodia”. 

Based on the KOICA news release, the project opened its first meeting in the morning of 29 March 2011 with KOICA officers, Ministry of Health, and WHO Office of the Asia-Pacific Region (WPRO). The WHO as the implementing organization is engaging the project with Ministry of Health for a period of one year, commencing from January 2011 to December 2011.

Based on the KOICA news release once again, Cambodia is one of the three countries in WPRO to implement the project so-called “Strengthen control of vectorborne diseases to lessen the impact of climate change in the Western Pacific Region with focus on Cambodia, Mongolia and Papua New Guinea” in which Malaria and dengue fever are among the most important vectorborned diseases in the tropics and subtropics. The project is intended to contribute towards strengthened health systems and to protect human health from current and projected risks due to climate change. Its objective is to build capacity at country level and to minimize the consequences of vectorborne diseases for populations in areas that are prone to climate change. 

Through the achievements on the project objectives, there will be six project outputs: (1) increased awareness and involvement of communities and stakeholders within and beyond the health sector in actions to minimize VBD consequences due to climate change, (2) strengthened surveillance for vector borne infections and climate change and capacity for rapid response to vectorborne disease outbreaks (3) strengthened capacity for vector control, (4) strengthened capacity for effective diagnosis and treatment of vectorborne disease, (5) strategic information on knowledge gaps generated and utilized to better respond to climate change-included vectorborned diseases, and (6) strengthened country programmes and effective and efficient project management. 

KOICA has supported Ministry of Health with four main projects: establishment of the modern hospital for children in Phnom Penh, establishment of Korea-Cambodia friendship hospital in Kampong Chhnang, the project for capacity building of Siem Reap provincial hospital, and research for the prevention of infectious diseases in 6 ASEAN countries. Currently, KOICA is carrying out two more projects: Project for establishing eye hospital in Preah Angdoung Hospital and Project of establishing a hospital in Bateay district, Kampong Cham province.