Hanoi (VNA) - Cambodia has made anumber of great achievements in the development of the health sector in the pastdecades, said a joint statement released by the Ministry of Health and the WorldHealth Organization (WHO) on April 7 on the occasion of the 75th founding anniversary of WHO.
According to the statement, Cambodia's significanthealth outcomes in the past decades have bettered many people's lives.
Life expectancy has risen dramatically in Cambodia,reaching 76 years old as of 2022, the statement said, adding that 99% of women now give birth with a skilled healthprovider, an increase from just over one in three women in 2000.
The statement said neonatal and under-five mortalityrates have rapidly declined over the past two decades, from 37 to 8 and 124 to16 per 1,000 live births, respectively.
The country eradicatedpolio in 1997 and has achieved significant progress in preventing, controllingand eliminating other communicable diseases, it said, adding that the number ofreported falciparum malaria cases is at its lowest ever, and it has been fiveyears since malaria mortality was last recorded in 2018.
The rates of tuberculosisincidence and mortality have decreased by around 50% from 2000 to 2021,and Cambodia achieved the reduction of global AIDS targets ahead of schedule.
Cambodia effectively prepared for and responded tohealth security threats and emergencies, particularly the COVID-19 pandemic,through the strengthening of its surveillance and response systems, laboratorycapacity, and public health and social measures.
The kingdom achieved high COVID-19 vaccination coveragewhile maintaining essential health services and delivering effective mentalhealth and psychosocial support during this peak timeof stress and crisis, the statement said./.