National Assembly (NA) president Khuon Sudary addresses a workshop on the dissemination of preventive measures for non-communicable diseases on December 18. NA
National Assembly (NA) president Khuon Sudary warned that the risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) should not be overlooked. She called for increased public awareness and risk prevention campaigns from all relevant authorities.
She noted that NCDs remain a common issue for many Cambodians, particularly women, and recommended that members of the public take advantage of affordable health checks and get examined regularly.
Sudary was addressing a consultative workshop, themed “Non-communicable disease prevention methods and gender gap closure resulting from NCDs”, in Phnom Penh on December 18.
She took to social media to share her thoughts.
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“We cannot afford to overlook the issues surrounding NCDs. No country can ever grow unless its people enjoy good health. The NCDs are a serious burden to our society, though they are almost entirely preventable,” she said.
She requested that the relevant sides examine the possibility of launching a “Healthy Life, Healthy Cambodia” campaign, which would include information about the importance of nutritious, less salty, less fatty food, as well as regular exercise.
She said that health education should not just focus on providing information, but should offer clear guidelines as to what they should and should not do.
“We must adopt pacifist measures, and think in terms of changing attitudes, lifestyles, the food that we consume and our environment. We should use data and technology, and launch the campaign with the support of health agencies, community leaders and volunteers alike. Hopefully, the campaign will reach those living in remote areas who struggle to access healthcare services,” she added.
While addressing the workshop, she requested that the National Health Authority work with state institutions, the private sector and development partners to share information, training programmes and best practices in order to establish a multi-sectoral partnership which could research and prevent NCDs more effectively.
Common NCDs include cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, mental illness and cancer.
WHO research shows that each year, 17 million people die from an NCD before the age of 70, and that 86 per cent of these premature deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.
The number of NCD risk factors is increasing everywhere, both in urban and rural areas, as they consume tobacco, alcohol, drugs, an inadequate intake of fruits and vegetables, and high levels of chemicals in fruits and vegetables, as well as a lack of exercise.
Sudary noted that the government has increased the national budget for the health sector to $550 million for 2024.
“The NA is actively playing its part in contributing to the protection and promotion of people’s health,” she said.
“The NA has passed comprehensive laws, responding to the prevention and control of NCDs and addressing gender inequalities in public policy, such as the Law on Tobacco Control, the Law on Consumer Protection, the Law on Food Safety and the Law on Plant Protection Products and Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary,” she added.
The workshop was held in collaboration with the NA’s commissions on healthcare, social Affairs, labour, and women’s affairs, and was funded by the Parliamentary Centre of Asia.
According to the Cambodia Socio-Economic Survey 2019-20, 16.5 per cent of 44,548 household members surveyed had been ill in the 30 days prior to the survey. Of that number, 31 per cent had developed NCDs.
The most common NCDs included high blood pressure (40 per cent), gastroenteritis/gastritis (13 per cent), heart disease (10 per cent), diabetes (nine per cent), arthritis (six per cent) and other NCDs (21 per cent).
