Phnom Penh: Professor Chheang Ra, Minister of Health, has proposed to jointly build a society in which all citizens can receive support and mental health care with hope, warmth, and without discrimination.
At the opening ceremony of the workshop on the review of the operational and clinical guidelines for the minimum set of activities for mental health on June 24, 2026, the Minister of Health highlighted that mental health services are not additional or optional services to health care, but are a core service of health services to promote the well-being of the population.
The Minister added that primary health care is the foundation of a strong and resilient health service delivery system. Health centers are the first point of entry for people to access health services. Mental health services must be patient-centered, respecting patients’ rights to make decisions, maintaining confidentiality, protecting privacy, and providing services without discrimination.
In addition, the professor advised the service to pay attention to the development of human resources for mental health in health centers by organizing training sessions In provincial capitals, technical support and continuous professional development are needed to improve quality, because quality can only be achieved through support, monitoring and evaluation, and regular training.
On that occasion, the Minister made a number of recommendations for health workers to work hard to integrate mental health services into primary health care and universal health coverage effectively, to strengthen patient-centered service delivery and professional ethics, to work hard to train clinical guidelines for the minimum set of activities for mental health as a tool and trainer for continuous professional development, and to recommend that the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse collaborate with the University of Health Sciences and the Department of Human Resource Development to organize new mental health training courses. .
Professor Minister emphasizes that mental health is a priority of the Ministry of Health as part of public health. Therefore, relevant leaders must increase capacity through collaboration and welcome the participation of partners and bring mental health services closer to the people.
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