Phnom Penh: The Asian Development Bank has proclaimed that the health system in Cambodia has been boosted by its six-year assistance project. The ADB says the kingdom’s national health adaptation plans are now capable of dealing with health risks associated with climate change. Over the past six years, the ADB has been conducting vulnerability and adaptation assessments for 14 high-risk provinces in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Almost 1,500 healthcare workers have been trained.

The project was called “Strengthening Resilience to Climate Change in the Health Sector in the Greater Mekong Subregion”. The six-year project focused on Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos’ ability to respond to climate change related health emergencies such as dengue fever, malaria and heat stress. The project was approved in 2015 with a $4.4-million grant from the Nordic Development Fund and was co-financed by the three participating countries.

ADB Director of Human and Social Development in Southeast Asia, Ms. Ayako Inagaki says the project has helped reduce their vulnerability to climate-induced health threats, especially among vulnerable populations. ADB Country Director for Cambodia, Ms. Sunniya Durrani-Jamal, says that with a newly-completed national plan to make health systems more resilient to climate change, Cambodia is now better equipped to protect communities, not only against climate change, but also Covid-19.