A country of 15 million people, Cambodia’s 2013 GDP was about $15.5 billion with growth around 7%. As the Cambodian economy develops, healthcare spending has been expanding throughout the country. Though still smaller and more difficult to do business in than many of its neighbors, Cambodia’s medical market is on a positive trajectory that should soon attract more attention from Western medical device and pharmaceutical companies.

Health-system policy needs now to return to strengthening the supply side. While certification of good manufacturing procedures is required for imported drugs, this is not the case for locally produced medicines. Operating as a Public Administrative Enterprise (semi-autonomous unit within the MOH), the National Center for Medical Laboratory serves as Cambodia’s control laboratory for quality of medicines. Anticipating the construction of a new laboratory, the Centre has authority to retest already approved drug products, though durable financing sources have yet to be identified and secured.
For the public health system: District Referral Hospitals provide treatment for referred cases, complicated tuberculosis cases, medical, surgical and obstetrical emergency cases, some surgery, MCH services, provision of X-ray, ultrasound and laboratory services, and rehabilitation services (MOH, 2006).