Korean and Cambodian officials on Aug. 6 pose for a group photo at the completion ceremony for the obstetrics ward of Preah Net Preah Rural Hospital in the Cambodian province of Banteay Meanchey. (Korea International Cooperation Agency)

By Lee Dasom

The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the Korea Foundation for International Healthcare (KOFIH) have helped expand village-level facilities and set up medical infrastructure in Cambodia through an official development assistance (ODA) project linking rural development with healthcare.

KOICA on Aug. 10 said it hosted from Aug. 5-6 for the K-ODA Cambodia Joint Event for Rural and Health Development in the provinces of Battambang and Banteay Meanchey in collaboration with KOFIH's office in the Southeast Asian country.

This event was part of the sidelines of Phase II of the K-Initiative project Village Development under Building Peace Villages through Integrated Rural Community Development promoted by the Korean Embassy in Phnom Penh.

The event simultaneously showcased KOICA's rural development initiatives and KOFIH's health and medical projects, as well as highlighting the impact of Korea's ODA based on the synergy between the two agencies' achievements.

A signing ceremony on Aug. 5 was held at the Battambang provincial office to support the second village development project (VDP), a key component of the K-Initiative in Cambodia.

A VDP is a rural development project based on resident participation. The first phase led to improvements in basic living infrastructure such as education, healthcare and roads in 30 villages in the provinces of Battambang, Pailin and Banteay Meanchey.

More resident-led follow-up projects are expected to continue as a result.

An opening ceremony for the Malai Health Center was held on Aug. 6 in Banteay Meanchey. Opened thanks to the first phase of the VDP, the facility is equipped with examination rooms, a pharmacy, delivery room, waiting area for expectant mothers and vaccination room, providing accessible and community-based basic healthcare to residents.

That afternoon, a completion ceremony was also held for the new obstetrics ward at Preah Net Preah Referral Hospital. Under a project to improve the quality of emergency obstetric and neonatal services in northwestern Cambodia, KOFIH built a state-of-the-art facility with delivery and operating rooms and a neonatal unit.

Ambassador to Cambodia Kim Changyong said, "We will actively support the sustainable development of northwestern Cambodia through the second VDP, improvements to rural infrastructure and projects to raise resident incomes."

dlektha0319@korea.kr