Background
Surgical, obstetric and anaesthesia services are core hospital functions because they cover emergency surgery, childbirth-related interventions and perioperative care. In Cambodia, national health policy uses strategic plans to align hospital capacity, clinical priorities and reporting requirements across national hospitals, provincial referral hospitals and district-level health facilities. The National Surgical, Obstetric and Anaesthesia Plan 2026–2035 is the Ministry of Health framework for improving how these services are organized, monitored and delivered.
Referral hospitals categorized as CPA2 and CPA3 are part of Cambodia’s public hospital network for delivering higher-level clinical services beyond primary care. Data collection on service indicators allows health authorities to monitor hospital performance and use evidence for planning, resource allocation and policy decisions. The use of structured indicators is a governance mechanism that connects clinical service delivery with national health-system management.
Key Developments
On 30 April 2026, Professor Lim Tara, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Health and Chair of the National Surgery, Obstetrics and Anaesthesia Committee, led a technical meeting of the committee by Zoom.
The meeting was organized to prepare the start of implementation of the National Surgical, Obstetric and Anaesthesia Policy and Strategic Plan 2026–2035, referred to as NSOAP. The chair reviewed priority activities and key indicators contained in the plan, with attention to the work required from national hospitals, CPA3 capital and provincial referral hospitals, and CPA2 level referral hospitals.
Institutional Role
The National Surgery, Obstetrics and Anaesthesia Committee served as the technical coordination body for the implementation discussion. Participants included Ministry of Health leaders, national hospitals, national centers, capital and provincial health departments, referral hospitals, operational district health offices, hospital-level surgery, obstetrics and anaesthesia teams, CPA2 referral hospitals, the World Health Organization and Vital Strategies.
The Ministry reported that approximately 450 participants joined the virtual meeting. The discussion included the Data-Centered Leadership program, supported by Vital Strategies, in relation to the use of data for decision-making and policy preparation.
Operational Implications
The Ministry encouraged CPA2 hospitals to organize surgery, obstetrics and anaesthesia working groups to support effective implementation of NSOAP. Hospitals were also instructed to record and collect data for the key indicators set out in the national plan.
The operational focus is on maintaining regular hospital functions after patients receive surgical, obstetric and anaesthesia care. The implementation process links clinical service organization with indicator reporting, hospital team formation and evidence-based management within the public health system.
