Background
On 26 March 2026 in Phnom Penh, Minister of Health Chheang Ra and Australian Ambassador Derek Yip presided over the closing of the annual workshop on maternal and perinatal death surveillance and response. During the event, the minister emphasized continued strengthening of the health system, capacity building for public officials and health workers, and implementation of the Health Strategic Plan 2025–2034.
The minister stated that the technical working group on maternal and perinatal death investigation and response should continue strengthening quality of care, treatment, and the promotion of maternal, newborn, and child health.
Scope of Application
The minister’s directions concern the maternal and perinatal death surveillance and response system across all provinces and Phnom Penh. The measures are intended for application in public health facilities and, where stated, in the private health sector as well.
The instructions also cover follow-up systems relating to pregnant women, postpartum women, and newborns.
Key Provisions or Decisions
The minister issued three main directions:
- Continue implementing maternal and perinatal death review and response in a more active and improved systematic manner in all capital and provincial jurisdictions.
- Finalize the existing standard operating procedures formally and put them into immediate use in public health facilities and in the private sector.
- Implement an effective monitoring system, organized through Telegram groups, for the health follow-up of pregnant women, postpartum women, and newborns.
At the event, the minister also handed over CTG machines for monitoring uterine contractions and fetal heart rates to provincial health departments located along the Cambodia-Thailand border.
Implications for Investors, Businesses, or Compliance
The item indicates an official push toward more standardized maternal and perinatal death review procedures within Cambodia’s health system. Public and private health facilities may need to align operational practices with the formalized standard operating procedures once issued and applied.
Private healthcare providers involved in maternal and newborn services may also need to participate in the relevant review and monitoring processes described by the ministry.
Official Source
Ministry of Health Facebook post, published 26 March 2026.
