On behalf of USAID, it is my great pleasure to join you today for this special event, as we complete the handover of critical medical equipment to the Sihanouk Hospital Center of Hope. I would like to thank our colleagues at the Sihanouk Hospital Center of Hope for organizing today’s event. I would also like to thank our colleagues from the Ministry of Health and the Australian Embassy for joining us as well as commend their combined efforts to improve women’s health in Cambodia.
When the Sihanouk Hospital requested USAID assistance to procure equipment to open a Women’s Health Clinic, we recognized the opportunity to contribute toward improving women’s health in Cambodia. The Sihanouk Hospital provides free medical care to Cambodians who have no other options for care. It is a critical and exemplary mission. To date, the hospital has provided more than one million free patient consultations.
It is a great pleasure to be here today at the opening ceremony of the 18th Annual Tuberculosis Conference. I would like to thank CENAT for inviting me. USAID is following the progress made in TB control efforts in Cambodia with great interest and we are glad to be part of this important workshop.
Last year, we were extremely impressed to learn of the impact that years of TB control efforts have had in the country - documented by repeat prevalence surveys showing 45% decrease in TB prevalence in nine years. This is a remarkable achievement and Cambodia is being applauded worldwide for this success, and we, USAID, is very proud to have contributed to this achievement.
We know also that momentum needs to be sustained for many more years, even decades, to reach the ultimate goal of eliminating TB as a public health problem by 2050. It is with that goal that we need to continue our relentless efforts in the coming years.
In February 2012, a USAID Washington Nutrition team along with SPRING consultants visited USAID/Cambodia to provide strategic planning assistance by conducting an analysis of current U.S. Government nutrition investments, existing nutrition links and gaps between sectors, country needs, and gaps in knowledge, programming, and capacity. Consultations with partners, Royal Government of Cambodia representatives and other stakeholders, as well as field visits to nutrition and agriculture sites, and a debriefing with USAID/Cambodia informed the development of the following recommendations.
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