Background
The Ministry of Health organizes public hospitals through a tiered referral system that assigns facilities by service capacity and administrative role within provincial and regional networks. The Ministry of Health classifies provincial referral hospitals into three capacity levels: CPA1, CPA2 and CPA3.
Operational guidelines under review set out the expected service packages and institutional arrangements for regional hospitals and provincial referral hospitals. Operational guidelines for regional and provincial referral hospitals specify service packages, governance arrangements, human resources, medical supplies, and referral processes.
Scope of Application
The draft guidelines apply to regional hospitals and provincial referral hospitals across Cambodia and reference the CPA1–CPA3 classification used for referral-level facilities. The guidance covers clinical service packages, facility governance, human resources, medical equipment and medicines, patient facilitation functions, rehabilitation services for children with disabilities, and coordination with community social services such as support for survivors of gender-based violence.
Key Provisions or Decisions
Participants reviewed a draft operational manual that frames essential service packages aligned to each CPA level and defines management structures for referral hospitals. The draft specifies staffing roles, material and pharmaceutical requirements, patient navigation or facilitator roles, and referral pathways between district, provincial and regional levels. The draft also highlights rehabilitation services and legal/ethical coordination for vulnerable groups, including newborns and children with disabilities.
Implications for Compliance and Health Management
Hospitals and provincial health authorities will use the guidelines to plan staffing, equipment procurement and service expansion consistent with CPA classifications. Development partners and central directorates may reference the final guidelines when coordinating investments and capacity-building for referral hospitals.
Official Source
Ministry of Health Facebook post, published 30 May 2026; workshop held in Kampong Cham on 29 May 2026 and chaired by Professor Yit Sunara, State Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Chair of the Coordination Committee for National-Level Care and Treatment. The consultation included approximately 80 participants from ministry leadership, directorates, national centers, national and provincial hospitals, level-1 and level-2 referral hospitals, and development partners.
