Almost 30 per cent of Cambodians borrow money for healthcare
- Kung-fu Hillbilly
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Almost 30 per cent of Cambodians borrow money for healthcare

Out-of-pocket expenditure on healthcare is a problem in Cambodia for low socio-economic households. Pictured: a pharmacy in Sihanoukville, Cambodia. Image: Shutterstock.com
Caroline Tang
5 Nov 2019
A new UNSW study has found that unless healthcare is better funded for low socio-economic households in Cambodia, efforts to achieve universal health coverage will be futile.
Borrowing with interest to pay for healthcare is known as distress health financing. New UNSW research, published in Health Policy and Planning last month, examined the factors driving this problem in Cambodia.
“And, the other challenge that Cambodia has to deal with is that the Health Equity Fund (HEF) is mostly funded through external donors – development partners – and that’s part of the reason why it has worked well.“Now, if those donors start pulling their financing and everything becomes the Cambodian Government's responsibility, it’s uncertain where things will lead.”
The study surveyed 5000 households across Cambodia and found that 28.1 per cent who used healthcare borrowed to pay for that healthcare.
The average period to pay off the loan was eight months, while 78 per cent of households had failed to pay off loans taken more than 12 months before the survey.
Dr Asante said loan sharks were also part of the distress health financing problem in Cambodia.
full https://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/healt ... healthcare
The idea that seeing the world is going from place to place to look at obvious things is an illusion natural to dull minds.
Re: Almost 30 per cent of Cambodians borrow money for healthcare
Avoiding treatment of something as simple as a common cold with a bag of pills including antibiotics that many here rush to buy could reduce this indebtedness a bit.
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Re: Almost 30 per cent of Cambodians borrow money for healthcare
Better qualified pharmacists and trained medical staff would help too. You can't expect people to self-diagnose. A "cold" might be the first symptoms of dengue. More and better health care is necessary.
- clutchcargo
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Re: Almost 30 per cent of Cambodians borrow money for healthcare
OTOH, it never ceases to amaze me that if you go to see a doctor in a western country they are likely to say go home, drink lots of fluids, take some Paracetamol, rest and reluctant to prescribe antibiotic/pills. Go to a doctor in Asia and you come out with a bag full of pills of all different colours of the rainbow.
Different culture and attitude...I pay for the consultation so I want something in return for my $$$..
Different culture and attitude...I pay for the consultation so I want something in return for my $$$..
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Re: Almost 30 per cent of Cambodians borrow money for healthcare
Yes, but even in the west it's the same attitude. Give me something to make me better, doctor. And a lot of patients still want a prescription for antibiotics.clutchcargo wrote: ↑Tue Nov 05, 2019 9:05 pm OTOH, it never ceases to amaze me that if you go to see a doctor in a western country they are likely to say go home, drink lots of fluids, take some Paracetamol, rest and reluctant to prescribe antibiotic/pills. Go to a doctor in Asia and you come out with a bag full of pills of all different colours of the rainbow.
Different culture and attitude...I pay for the consultation so I want something in return for my $$$..
The problem in Cambodia is that you don't even know exactly what most of those little pills are in your lolly bag. It's like those pot-luck party bags for kids. Very pretty, but what's inside ?
Re: Almost 30 per cent of Cambodians borrow money for healthcare
Cambodians were paying 10 dollars for serum but turned out to be water.Kung-fu Hillbilly wrote: ↑Tue Nov 05, 2019 8:24 pm
Out-of-pocket expenditure on healthcare is a problem in Cambodia for low socio-economic households. Pictured: a pharmacy in Sihanoukville, Cambodia. Image: Shutterstock.com
Caroline Tang
5 Nov 2019
A new UNSW study has found that unless healthcare is better funded for low socio-economic households in Cambodia, efforts to achieve universal health coverage will be futile.
Borrowing with interest to pay for healthcare is known as distress health financing. New UNSW research, published in Health Policy and Planning last month, examined the factors driving this problem in Cambodia.
“And, the other challenge that Cambodia has to deal with is that the Health Equity Fund (HEF) is mostly funded through external donors – development partners – and that’s part of the reason why it has worked well.“Now, if those donors start pulling their financing and everything becomes the Cambodian Government's responsibility, it’s uncertain where things will lead.”
The study surveyed 5000 households across Cambodia and found that 28.1 per cent who used healthcare borrowed to pay for that healthcare.
The average period to pay off the loan was eight months, while 78 per cent of households had failed to pay off loans taken more than 12 months before the survey.
Dr Asante said loan sharks were also part of the distress health financing problem in Cambodia.
full https://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/healt ... healthcare
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