Cambodia Boosts Eye Health Investment with New 2026-2031 Plan

Minister of Health, Cheang Ra, announced an increased focus on eye health for citizens. Speaking at the official launch of the 2026-2031 Eye Health Governance Project on September 7, 2026, the minister affirmed that investing in eye health is an investment in public health, human capital, and national development. He highlighted that eye health is a crucial part of the health system and essential for achieving universal health coverage goals. The minister stated that vision impairment and blindness not only affect citizens' health and quality of life but also have repercussions on education, work productivity, household livelihoods, poverty reduction, and the nation's human capital development. "Eyes are truly indispensable means of communication for absorbing understanding. When we help a child with an eye problem that prevents them from seeing well, we may be helping the future of that child, who could sometimes become the future of the nation. Eyes are not just about vision, but they are related to all aspects of the spirit," the minister remarked. He called on all relevant parties to continue strengthening cooperation and partnerships to collectively ensure that no one is left behind in receiving eye health care services and to build a stronger, higher quality, equitable, inclusive, and sustainable Cambodian eye health system. Currently, Cambodia has over 200 ophthalmologists and more than 700 ophthalmic technicians and nurses providing services to citizens nationwide. Source: Koh Santepheap Khmer