Background
The Ministry of Health in Cambodia is responsible for national health system planning and for coordinating partnerships with international non-governmental organisations to deliver specialist services at provincial and community levels. The Fred Hollows Foundation has supported eye health programs in Cambodia since 1998, working on workforce development, infrastructure, and service delivery.
Current cooperation emphasises sector governance, human resource planning, primary eye care expansion, and data systems to inform policy decisions. Partners identified concrete system elements for action including provincial service mapping, school-based eye health programs, teleophthalmology platforms, and the integration of digital tools such as artificial intelligence for clinical support.
Key Developments
On 7 September 2026, Minister Professor Chheang Ra formally received Ross Piper, Chief Executive Officer of the Fred Hollows Foundation, and senior delegates to discuss ongoing collaboration. The Foundation presented an investment and cooperation plan covering 2026–2029 intended to support national eye health priorities.
Both parties enumerated priority areas for the partnership: strengthening governance and policy for eye health; developing provincial-level service roadmaps; expanding human resource capacity through workforce planning and training; scaling primary eye care and referral systems; rolling out nationwide school eye health initiatives; and improving data and evidence systems for policy and decision-making.
Institutional Role
The Ministry of Health functions as the national steward for policy and regulatory alignment across public and private health providers in eye care, while development partners provide technical assistance, funding, and innovation deployment. The Fred Hollows Foundation’s role in Cambodia emphasises long-term system strengthening through combined investments in human resources, technology, and service delivery at provincial and community levels.
Operational Implications
Planned activities under the 2026–2029 cooperation framework are structured to affect service delivery pathways, including bolstering primary eye care competencies at district facilities and reinforcing patient referral mechanisms to higher-level ophthalmic services. Adoption of teleophthalmology and artificial intelligence tools is intended to support clinical decision-making and remote consultation capacity, subject to Ministry oversight and integration into national data systems.
Official Source
Original report published by the Ministry of Health (Facebook): Ministry of Health Facebook post, 7 September 2026.
