People wait to access medical services at the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital. Yousos Apdoulrashim
The steadily increasing numbers of Cambodians – and foreign residents – registering for the Kingdom’s National Social Security Fund (NSSF) reflects growing public awareness of the benefits of the system, as well as trust in healthcare services in Cambodia, explained Heng Sophannarith, deputy director-general of the fund.
As of March 7, membership had reached 2,776,192. In 2024, services were accessed approximately 650,000 times each month.
The increase in members has led to concerns about wait times and access to medical services.
499,979 public sector employees are NSSF members, along with the 1,570,662 employees of registered businesses who are covered under labour law, 531,136 self-employed individuals and 174, 415 people in charge of NSSF members.
In 2024, an average of 650,000 monthly visits were made to partner hospitals and clinics, with monthly costs of approximately $13.5 million. As of March 7, more than 1.33 million visits were made in 2025, according to an NSSF report.
Well-known hospitals, such as the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital, Ang Duong Hospital and Techo Santepheap National Hospital, often see a large number of patients, while ear, nose and throat specialists are also popular, as are specialist oncology clinics.
People flocked to register for NSSF Cards in 2023. NSSF
At the larger hospitals, patient wait times can range from one or two hours to even the entire morning.
“More and more people are aware of the benefits of the system, and there is no discrimination against NSSF card-holders,” said Sophannarith.
He explained that the reason for some congestion has nothing to do with the hospitals or the fund.
“Those who are paying privately access services just the same way as those who are not. Once inside, they need to take a number and wait to be seen. There are enough doctors to provide treatment, but due to the high number of members, congestion occurs in the waiting areas,” he explained.
“We have encouraged our partner hospitals to prepare more shifts, organise more permanent staff, ensure sufficient space in waiting areas and have facilitators. We have discussed this issue many times and are working on solving it,” he added.
Nuth Sombath, president of the Institute of Medical, Biological and Agricultural Sciences at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, believed the increase in citizens using NSSF cards at public hospitals reflects the success of the government in expanding healthcare coverage.
He described the government’s healthcare reforms as a point of pride.
“Normally, people go to the places they trust. Hospitals have a limit on the number of people they can treat, which cannot exceed its capacity. For example, if a doctor can treat 20 to 30 patients in one day, it is impossible to treat 200 or 300,” he said.
He encouraged people to seek services at other NSSF partner hospitals, so as to ease the burden on some of the busiest facilities. Sombath suggested that it is the responsibility of NSSF officials to explain this to the public.
“Some people think that the NSSF card can only be used at public hospitals, so this needs to be explained,” he said.
“In addition, the number of people that a hospital can handle in one day should be limited. This will avoid citizens becoming frustrated at having to wait for long periods,” he added.
The Post was unable to reach a health ministry spokesperson for comment.
