Cambodia Expands Cervical Cancer Screening to Provinces Under PM Hun Manet's Initiative

PHNOM PENH, Sept 16, 2026 (KPT) — Prime Minister Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet said Wednesday Cambodia is expanding cervical cancer screening services to provincial health centres and referral hospitals, part of efforts to improve early detection and treatment across rural areas. Speaking at the inauguration of Luang Mae Hospital, Samdech Thipadei said 540 health centres and 15 referral hospitals nationwide had been equipped with screening tools. He described the expansion as a government policy to bring health services closer to people, particularly those in remote communities. “By equipping health centres and referral hospitals with tools to detect cancer, we want people to be able to identify the disease at an early stage rather than when the cancer has progressed,” he said. Early detection, he added, would allow patients to receive treatment sooner and improve their chances of protecting their health. The premiere urged the Ministry of Health to continue expanding services and ensure facilities were properly equipped. The government has increasingly focused on rural healthcare access to reduce the need for patients to travel long distances. Each year, 1,135 Cambodian women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and around 643 die from it, according to the ICO/IARC HPV Information Centre. The World Health Organization reports a mortality rate of 8.3 per 100,000 women, underscoring the scale of the challenge. Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among Cambodian women and ranks among the country’s top five cancers alongside liver, lung, breast and colorectal. Cambodia introduced the one‑dose HPV vaccine for nine‑year‑old girls in 2023, with campaigns planned to expand coverage further in 2025. Officials said combining vaccination with expanded screening capacity is central to Cambodia’s National Cancer Control Plan 2025–2030, which aims to meet WHO targets for cervical cancer elimination. The plan sets out a roadmap to vaccinate 90 percent of girls against HPV by age 15, screen 70 percent of women by ages 35 and 45, and ensure 90 percent of those diagnosed receive appropriate treatment. It also integrates screening with HIV care, as women living with HIV are six times more likely to develop cervical cancer. Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet said the expansion of screening services represents a crucial step in implementing the plan, helping Cambodia move closer to its target of eliminating cervical cancer as a public health threat.