Making social protection and health services gender just and crisis proof

Cambodia	National Social Protection Council (NSPC), represented by its General Secretariat

A woman is sitting at a table covered in lists and documents as she registers at a health centre; she is holding up to the camera a laminated equity card featuring her personal details, which entitles her to free medical examinations and treatment.

Context

Over the past decade, Cambodia has improved its social protection system and reduced the poverty rate. However, the social protection system is still in its infancy and lacks institutional capabilities. There is not enough of a focus on climate-related and gender-specific risks, in particular.

High private spending on health care is a burden for particularly vulnerable groups. There is little demand for health insurance, however, as the quality of health care is not very high and health professionals are underqualified. As a result, many people do not have an adequate social safety net if they fall ill.

Objective

The conditions for better access to social protection services and high-quality health services have been improved – particularly with regard to climate-related risks, gender justice, inclusion and poverty reduction.

Five women living in poverty are holding up to the camera laminated equity cards featuring their personal details; the cards give them access to social assistance benefits and basic health care.

Approach

The project advises the General Secretariat of the National Social Protection Council (NSPC) and other stakeholders. The aim, in this context, is to improve political guidelines and service delivery with regard to responsiveness to climate-related risks and gender justice. In doing so, the project prioritises capacity development and networking. It supports digital transformation, including by developing the existing database of poor households (IDPoor) into a social registry.

In addition, the project provides advice on how access to financial protection in the event of illness can be improved and how the quality of health services can be better safeguarded. It is supporting the implementation of the government road map to achieve universal health coverage by 2035.

It is also continuing to develop the institutional capacities for competency-based training for health professionals. To this end, it develops curricula, promotes individual competencies and provides support for training processes that have been adapted to meet new standards.