In Cambodia, poverty and illness go hand in hand. Many Cambodians can only afford to pay the high costs of treatment by borrowing money or selling belongings. Others put off or even forgo consultation with a doctor, often with disastrous consequences. Expenses related to illness are one of the main reasons driving households into poverty. This situation could become even worse now given the increasingly critical international economic and financial crisis and its impact on Cambodian society and international development funds. That is why it is so important to use existing resources and expertise efficiently.

An important step in this process was taken by representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the French development agency (AFD) and German development cooperation – represented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH. On 15 June 2009, they signed a Memorandum of Understanding in which they pledge to coordinate their efforts supporting the Cambodian Government in the area of social health protection. Some 30 representatives of the government and international guests attended the signing ceremony in Phnom Penh. In accordance with the Accra Agenda on Aid Effectiveness, the signatories also promised to coordinate their technical cooperation more closely with counterparts in the Cambodian ministries and institutions and to align these efforts with national principles and strategies. The focus lies on sustainably developing local capacity.

GTZ Country Director Heinrich-Jürgen Schilling signed the MoU on behalf of German development cooperation. In his address, he stressed the importance of the Memorandum for sustainable poverty alleviation in Cambodia. Mr Schilling pointed out that today more than ever, the Cambodian people trust that their Government will ensure access to affordable, quality-assured health care services. He said this was the only way that they could provide for their families and contribute their own human resources to their country’s development.

GTZ has been supporting Cambodian health reform for several years now. The German development organisations GTZ, CIM, DED, InWEnt and KfW are broadening their efforts in this area as part of a new joint programme on social health protection. GTZ in Cambodia has a history of collaborating on these issues with WHO, ILO and AFD that predates the signing of the Memorandum and includes various training programmes and workshops as well as organising a National Forum on Social Health Protection. It is now planned to build further upon these experiences. This cooperation is part of the G8 Providing for Health Initiative coordinated by Germany and France which supports developing countries in building up health care systems and mechanisms for social health protection.