Cambodia

Outcomes

The project trained more than 150 Cambodian mental healthcare professionals – including psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, and counsellors – through a series of workshops conducted by a team of Singapore International Volunteers (SIVs) from Singapore’s mental healthcare sector. The workshops covered topics such as suicide risk assessment protocols, structured obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) diagnosis using the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy.

 

At KSFH, a hospital-wide suicide risk assessment framework – developed through the project – is being integrated into standard clinical procedures, enabling early identification and intervention for at-risk individuals. At Caritas-CCAMH and TPO Cambodia, structured OCD protocols have been adopted into daily practices, supporting more accurate diagnoses and consistent treatment planning.

 

Across partner institutions, psychoeducational materials tailored to local contexts – including resources designed for tribal communities and low-literacy groups – are being used to improve mental health literacy and reduce stigma among underserved communities.

 

These efforts represent sustainable, systems-level impact – with an estimated 225,000 patients expected to benefit from the strengthened capabilities of healthcare professionals across Cambodia. 

Outcomes

Assoc Prof Mark Leong, Senior Consultant of Emergency Medicine at SGH, led a multi-disciplinary team of Singapore International Volunteers to train 945 medical professionals across five hospitals in Cambodia. Out of these, 191 received the Basic Cardiac Life Support/AED certification and 33 doctors received the Advanced Cardiac Life Support certification. 16 nursing protocols and three clinical protocols were developed. There was a reduction in the time taken to process and manage cardiac emergencies. The project also resulted in a new ‘code blue’ bag with essential equipment developed by Calmette Hospital, now placed in every neurology and cardiac ICU ward and recovery room of the hospital.

Outcomes

Orthopaedic doctors, nurses and physiotherapists were trained in surgical techniques, nursing procedures, infection control procedures and rehabilitation strategies. The project comprised six training sessions for 558 Cambodian doctors, nurses, and physiotherapists. A doctor, three nurses, and two physiotherapists from Calmette Hospital also underwent a two-week training attachment in Singapore General Hospital in March 2013. Resulting improvements included changes in infection control procedures in operating theatres and wards, new rehabilitation guidelines and nursing protocols for post-surgical patients, the introduction of orthopaedic physiotherapy assessment forms and new orthopaedic surgeries.