Quarterly Review 1 – 2022
COVID-19: During the first quarter of 2022, most of our employees got their 3rd or 4th dose of vaccine when the Omikron virus quickly spread. Several became positive, but none of them got seriously sick.
Expansion: With the dangers of COVID-19 subsiding, we could finally implement activities that we had planned for 2021 but postponed. Another 5-week training of 8 peer educators was completed: 5 of them from Ksach Kandal OD where a new program had been planned to start last year already. Activities to register new members (>50 so far) were launched. The medical services at Prek Tamek Referral Hospital will start in April. The first 5 new peer educators there, aided by program officers, began with primary prevention activities. We also visited other OD’s: Kang Meas OD in Kampong Cham province, Krouch Chhmar OD in Tboung Khmum province, Chloong OD in Kratie province, and Prek Phnov OD in Phnom Penh to discuss the program and the agreements. After the first visit, key-staff from Kang Meas OD visited Baray Santuk Referral Hospital to see the program-activities in action and talk with counterparts about how they fit it within the public service. The other OD’s had already visited examples but this had happened before the pandemic began. These new OD’s are in our ambitious agreement with the Ministry of Health 2021-2023. One peer educator for Prek Phnov OD started the training.
Laboratory activities are increasing, so we ordered a 2nd automated laboratory machine for biochemistry to handle the daily case-load.
Takeo: We are trying to solve some very old structural problems in Takeo where we had started the old intervention model in 2007 and handed over peer educator networks back in 2016 by reforming them to the new standards that we implement everywhere else. Ang Roka OD: Starting 2022, we stopped supply to the private pharmacy in front of the Referral Hospital Ang Roka and began negotations with OD and Hospital to set up support for service inside RH Ang Roka. We met a couple of times, saw space and talked through a new financial flow process. Our common goal is now to restart there in July 2022. Prey Kabas OD: We had meeting at Prey Kabas OD on how transition more effectively from RDF in private pharmacy to RDF inside Referral Hospital. MoPoTsyo therefore stops its supply to the private pharmacy in that OD and steps up promotional activities to benefit the RH activity. It is true that COVID19 had been making people more afraid to go to the Prey Kabas RH but now it is time to normalize and make sure patients see the doctor regularly again when they take medicine. Kirivong OD: Starting 2022, we stopped to supply to the private pharmacy in front of the RH in Kirivong. But RH Kirivong itself continues to buy its medicines from MoPoTsyo as it sends us the dispensing invoices for the medicines it dispenses to its own patients. This is what had been agreed during the hand-over 6 years ago. Kirivong RH is the only hospital in Cambodia allowed to buy the medicines from MoPoTsyo for dispensing to non-members of MoPoTsyo. Otherwise, it would not have been able to provide the same quantities of medicines to its chronic patients during all those years.
Kampong Speu: During Q1 we are negotiating with the OD Kampong Speu about a joint monitoring system of the implementation of the agreements so we monitor together with the OD office. This is new and can be useful to apply in other OD’s later on.
Svay Rieng: We visited all the OD’s in Svay Rieng province to review the progress and to distribute the annual shared pharmacy rewards. From the attitude of our counterparts we notice a great appreciation of the peer educator networks. The visit took place against the background of Omikron with many health staff being affected but our delegation managed to remain virus free.
RDF Medicines: We had to order airfreight from IMRES in The Netherland to get Enalapril on time. If we had waited for sea-freight container we would have run out.
WDF partnership project: MoH, WHO and partners including MoPoTsyo held meetings to discuss the lessons learned through the Mid Term Review of this project at Battambang-Kampot provinces. Next step will be the final project evaluation.
MoH and NCD: On 24/3 large stakeholder meeting was held in Phnom Penh with participants from provinces and institutions and stakeholders to review the draft new National Strategic Plan for NCD 2022-2030. The draft shows Ministry of Health remains firmly committed to continue peer educator networks for diabetes and hypertension. It wants to expand them to all OD’s in Cambodia, the same as in the previous plan (2013-2020), so our NGO MoPoTsyo is helping the Ministry of Health in implementation of the National Strategic Plan. What is extraordinary is that the peer educator networks are mostly financed by Cambodian people with diabetes and hypertension who are member of the NGO.