Australia re-engaged in the health sector in 2007. The main principle of support to the health sector is to work through existing Cambodian health sector programs and co-ordination mechanisms to address sectoral priorities and fill sectoral gaps.
 

Our key engagement is through the Health Sector Support Program 2, a sector wide approach with seven donors and the Ministry of Health. The HSSP 2 directly supports activities under the National Health Strategic Plan 2008-2015, with a focus on maternal and child health and other under funded areas.
 

Small scale activities, complementary to the HSSP 2 are also undertaken in areas of health financing (CBHI/HEF with GTZ) and maternal health (through UNFPA). In addition AusAID will extend support to the University of Health Science Technical School for Medical Care for implementation of the new three year course in midwifery, with the aim of improving clinical skills of new midwives.
 

Australia also works to reduce the spread of HIV related to intravenous drug use. The HIV AIDS Asia Regional Project commenced in early 2009 and works with the Ministries of Interior, Health, Social Affairs Veteran Rehabilitation and Youth, UN agencies and NGOs to provide services such as methadone maintenance therapy; clean needle and syringe programs, as well as addressing the social and legal environment to minimise harm from drug use.

There is an increasing risk that Cambodia will not reach MDG 4 Child Mortality and MDG 5 Maternal health.
Discussion point: Australia would like to explore with RGC what can be done to address this risk.
 

The impact of the global economic crisis (GEC) appears to be off the agenda in a number of TWGs including health.
Discussion point: AusAID (along with other donors) would like to explore the best way to work with MoH to develop a planned response to the GEC, in both the short and medium term.
 

A comprehensive social safety net is a key part of the response, including ensuring access of the poor to health services. Rapid expansion of health equity funds (or other options) is needed and expansion of ID Poor is required to underpin health equity funds and other social safety nets.
Discussion point: RGC commitment to the new 5 year program for ID Poor.
 

Financing: Australia (along with other donors) currently focuses on allocations of funds within the MoH budget alone. Discussion across the whole of government on the appropriate allocation to the health sector as compared with other sectors and Ministries is the next step.
Discussion point: How can Australia support this dialogue?
 

There is an ongoing challenge of capacity development of MoH, currently highlighted by lags or gaps in the transition to internal contracting with the result of lags or gaps in service delivery already being felt. There is also concern that technical advisers are not transferring capacity to MoH staff.
Discussion point: How can capacity development be better targeted, and what alternative approaches to capacity development should be explored?
 

Harm reduction: there is continued uncertainty regarding the revised draft Law on Drug Control and inclusion of clauses that provide a legal basis for Needle and Syringe programs and other health services for dug users. This is a key issue for implementation of the HAARP project and we have received assurances from the Ministry of Interior regarding legality of these programs.
Discussion point: How can Australia now work with RGC to ensure these assurances are incorporated into the revised draft Law on Drug Control?
 

Australia has extensive training activities with the CNP in areas of harm reduction, as well as human trafficking, forensics and management (through CCJAP and ARTIP projects). These are well received and we want to move to a more sustainable approach through institutionalising training into the RGC systems for training of police at provincial, regional and national levels.
Discussion point: Strategies for working together to institutionalise police training into RGC training schools at provincial, regional and national levels.