Cambodia

Cambodia is located in mainland Southeast Asia, covering approximately 176,500 km², and bordered by Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam, with a coastline along the Gulf of Thailand. Its landscape is dominated by the central lowlands and floodplains of the Mekong River and Tonle Sap, surrounded by higher-elevation regions, under a tropical monsoon climate.

Healthcare System in Cambodia
Cambodia operates a mixed healthcare system with the Ministry of Health responsible for policy, regulation, and stewardship. Public service delivery is organized across 25 Provincial/Municipal Health Departments into a district-based network where health centres handle primary care and referral hospitals provide secondary and tertiary services. Although out-of-pocket costs remain high and care is frequently sought from private providers, social protection programs like the Health Equity Fund and National Social Security Fund have expanded financial coverage.

Cervical cancer burden and HPV in Cambodia
Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women in Cambodia and a leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Each year, an estimated 1,100–1,300 women are diagnosed and 640–670 die from the disease. The age-standardized incidence rate is around 14–15 per 100,000 women, with mortality rates higher than the global average, largely due to late diagnosis and limited access to screening and treatment. HPV 16 is the dominant high-risk type, with HPV 52 and 51 also frequently detected, reflecting patterns seen across East and Southeast Asia. Until recently, HPV vaccination was only available through demonstration projects and the private sector; a national school- and community-based program for 9-year-old girls was launched in October 2023, but coverage is still being scaled up. Screening remains low, with only about 15–20% of women ever screened, and pathology capacity is extremely limited, with very few pathologists nationwide.

What we do in Cambodia
Since 2021, ETiCCS has partnered with the Ministry of Health, Cambodia, to design and evaluate a cloud-based digital system for cervical cancer screening and care. In the KfW-supported project “Effectiveness analysis and economic evaluation of a modified program for cervical cancer screening in Cambodia assisted by a cloud-based digital system” (2021–2025), we are introducing HPV self-sampling, establishing colposcopy and LEEP services, and implementing digital data management to link screening, diagnosis, and treatment across facilities. This work addresses key bottlenecks in the Cambodian system—especially the shortage of pathology and the fragmentation of paper-based records—by creating a unified, digital pathway that can be scaled nationally. The project combines clinical implementation with health-economic evaluation to inform policy and support the country’s move toward cervical cancer elimination.

See where else we work