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Sreyroth's reflection on the Leadership Development sessions

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I believe getting to understand relevant stakeholders and the surroundings while leading is key to success because the whole team would not go in the same direction if there's a misunderstanding. Thus, enhancing my ability to understand.

One more thing is we cannot read each other's mind as always. Let others know about my feelings and thoughts is a must. Likewise, it's also important to keep asking and listening for other's thoughts and feelings. We need to care for each other.

Sreyroth

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Conduct and sustain a learning-sharing platform between stakeholders

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Conduct and sustain a learning-sharing platform between stakeholders

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Stakeholders who are very enthusiastic about a project will voluntarily be well-prepared for getting to start or adapt something innovative. Opening a learning-sharing platform will allow them to showcase their successes, challenges and resolutions. For instance, a technical working group is comprised of practitioners, national & subnational leadership and development partners. So, once there's a need for a rapid response to any disease outbreak the team will be able to collect inputs from all levels as well as every edge. This enables to higher possibility of quality response. Together with developing a roadmap for the whole teamwork, defining clear roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder is part of ensuring the progressiveness of the project because each will know when and how to do what and why.

Sreyroth

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Be adaptable and transformation

VENG KIMYOU

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Dear everyone, here's my reflection video. Hope you enjoy it <3

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Young Leadership program for health system strengthening in Cambodia reflection.

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Dear everyone , please kindly find my reflection video in the attached link. Thank you.

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Get access to files anywhere through secure cloud storage and file backup for your photos, videos, files and more with Google Drive.

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The practices that can lead with care:

A check-in once a week about physical and mental health for the team.

Host a healing or self awaeness workshop.

Check feedback and suggestions from the team.

Another important is the retreat together. From Vandy.

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To be in someone shoe is my practice that enhance my ability to lead with care and feelings. Creating an environment where everyone feel support, values, appropriate and heard.

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From Vandy

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Promote team-building activities and collaborative projects that bring together diverse perspectives and foster mutual respect .

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From Vandy

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To strengthen the health sector in Cambodia will need contribute from diverse perspectives:

-Government

-Healthcare providers

-Patients and Communities

-NGOs

-Public health expert

-Academic and research institution

-International development partners

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Letting go and embracing uncertainly so hard to achieve because

-Fear of possible outcome will occur: When everything is not in my control, I tend to afraid that something expected will happen.

My biggest challenge is overthink about it although it is not happen yet.

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From Vandy reflection

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4. Pattern Sensing and Diversity Seeking 

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When I'm facing uncertainly, I practice these to keep myself flexible and stay centered.

Do Yoga or a short medicate: It makes me feel calm and focus.

Write things down step by step and try to practice from the smallest point. It helps me a lot when i face overwhelmed situations .

Seeking support: It's okay to asking for help when you can't focus and solve it by your own.

Accept: Accept that situation and open heart to learn about it.

Mantha

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The key is to build strong connections with your team. Start by actively listening to their perspectives and concerns, and making an effort to understand what they're going through. Being self-aware and seeking feedback can also help you recognize how your emotions and behaviors impact others.

Showing genuine care about team members' wellbeing and development is crucial. Celebrate successes, offer support during tough times, and take an interest in their lives outside of work. Creating an environment where people feel safe to take risks and voice their opinions is important for building trust and open communication.

Approach leadership with a focus on supporting and empowering team members to succeed. This could involve delegating tasks, removing obstacles, and putting their needs before my own. When communicating, do so with compassion - choose words carefully to inspire and uplift, provide constructive feedback, and acknowledge the emotional aspects of situations.

Seaklay

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Create an inclusive, inviting and open-to-feedback work environment

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Create an inclusive, inviting and open-to-feedback work environment

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Health organizations should aim to build a culture where everyone feels comfortable sharing their ideas and concerns. This means encouraging open communication, recognizing different perspectives, and making sure new hires feel welcomed and supported.

Providing ongoing training, especially on topics like unconscious bias and inclusive leadership, can help create this kind of environment. It's also important to involve people from different teams in decision-making and explain the reasoning behind decisions.

Celebrating diversity through events, employee groups, and inclusive communication can go a long way in making the workplace welcoming to all. Regularly reviewing policies and tracking progress is crucial to ensuring the organization's commitment to inclusion is upheld.

By taking a comprehensive approach to inclusivity, health organizations can create a work environment that brings out the best in everyone and leads to better performance.

Seaklay

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There are a few innovative solutions and ideas that have emerged in the Cambodian health system in recent years that I think are worth highlighting.

One notable development is the establishment of two clinics that provide hormone therapy for the transgender community. This is an important step in improving accessibility to healthcare for this marginalized population. However, more work needs to be done to promote these services more widely and ensure they are affordable and accessible for all who need them.

Additionally, I'm aware of some multimedia resources and news coverage that explore these initiatives in more depth. For example, this link to service from a clinic, and this link to a research study. I would encourage you and your peers to check out these sources to learn more about the progress being made, as well as the continued challenges, in this area of the Cambodian health system.

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To strengthen the health sector in Cambodia, the perspectives of various health system actors are important.

Government policymakers and regulators should be engaged to understand policy priorities for improving healthcare access, quality, and affordability. Their insights on policy, regulatory, and technical level can help drive system-wide changes. Healthcare providers, such as doctors, nurses, and pharmacists, should be consulted to gather their frontline experiences and challenges in delivering care. Their ideas for enhancing clinical protocols, infrastructure, and support systems can inform practical solutions.

Patient and community representatives should be incorporated to ensure the voices and needs of the end-users of the healthcare system are reflected. Understanding barriers to care-seeking behaviors and preferences for service delivery models can help design more responsive and accessible services. The perspectives of private sector healthcare operators, including private hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies, should also be sought. Engaging with the private sector can leverage their resources and innovations and identify opportunities for public-private partnerships to expand healthcare coverage.

Development partners, such as donors, NGOs, and international organizations, should be aligned on priority areas for investment and technical assistance. Coordinating these efforts can help avoid duplication and maximize the impact of external support. Finally, health workforce experts and educators should be consulted to identify gaps in health workforce capacity, distribution, and skills. Their insights can inform strategies to strengthen service and training programs, ensuring the healthcare system has the necessary human resources to deliver quality care.

By systematically capturing and integrating the perspectives of these diverse health system actors, Cambodia can develop a more comprehensive and responsive strategy to strengthen its healthcare system and improve population health outcomes.

Seaklay

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It's really hard to let go of control and embrace uncertainty because it goes against our natural human tendencies. We like things to be stable, orderly, and predictable. The unknown often makes us feel anxious, insecure, and afraid, so we try to minimize risks and stay in control.

The biggest challenge for me is overcoming my own ego's need to be in charge. I have a strong urge to plan everything out, strategize, and feel like I'm mastering my circumstances. Admitting there are things beyond my control and surrendering to life's unpredictability can feel very uncomfortable and threatening to my sense of self.

Plus, our fast-paced, results-focused society reinforces the idea that we have to maintain tight control to succeed. The pressure to optimize, forecast, and avoid surprises makes it really hard to loosen up and just accept the ups and downs of uncertainty.

However, the ability to let go, adapt, and find calmness amidst change is a crucial skill. It requires developing mental flexibility, humility, and trust in the process of life. By learning to focus on the present moment rather than worrying about future outcomes, we can find more ease, resilience, and opportunities for growth when facing the unknown.

Seaklay

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Maintaining flexibility and staying centered in the face of uncertainty often requires a multifaceted approach. Two key practices that can help in this regard are teamwork and data-informed decision making.

Working together as a team is essential when facing uncertainty. By collaborating with others, you can combine different perspectives, skills, and knowledge to find more flexible and resilient solutions.

Working closely as a team allows you to share the workload, divide tasks, and benefit from the collective intelligence of the group. This collaborative approach makes the team more agile, as they can change course more easily than an individual.

Alongside teamwork, making decisions based on data is also crucial for staying focused and on track when dealing with uncertainty. By basing actions on objective information and analysis, rather than gut feelings or speculation, it can make more informed and rational choices. Gathering and studying relevant data can help you better understand the problem, identify patterns, and make evidence-based decisions. This data-driven approach helps you remain centered and adaptable, as you can adjust your strategies based on the insights provided by the data.

Ultimately, the combination of teamwork and data-informed decision making gives you the flexibility, clarity, and collective resources needed to navigate uncertain circumstances effectively and confidently.

Seaklay

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Cambodia's healthcare system faces significant challenges, but my vision for the future presents a promising path forward. The core goal of affordable access to quality healthcare for everyone, regardless of their financial resources, is a commendable and essential objective. Ensuring that all Cambodians can receive the care they need without facing prohibitive costs is crucial for promoting public health and wellbeing.

Additionally, my emphasize prevention and health education is well-advised. Empowering the public with knowledge and resources to maintain healthy lifestyles can go a long way in reducing the burden on the healthcare system and improving outcomes. Collaboration between the public and private sectors to encourage and support healthy behaviors will be key.

Equally important is my aim to make gender-affirming care more accessible and available, which will help address the specific needs of Cambodia's LGBTIQ+ community. Achieving this vision of an inclusive, preventative, and affordable healthcare system would significantly enhance the quality of life for all Cambodians.

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Mr. Sunheng Kaing; Researcher at PIC, Lecturer at UP

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“Lead yourself as a leader with care employee and feeling to self-emotion before reacting to work environment”

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“Lead yourself as a leader with care employee and feeling to self-emotion before reacting to work environment”

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Being leader has many things to response beyond working as your position, leader need to have softly empower employee and also show compassion for being able to motivate and inspire team members thereby creating positive working environment, building closed relationship, care their work responsibilities, show appreciated to employee of their hard work and work achievement in team, create opportunities for up-skill employees and also support work environment as employee needed.

Moreover, leader should improve emotional intelligence feeling which is practical reflection including managing emotions, showing empathy, fostering appreciation, and communicating effectively. It is a crucial quality for effective leadership, as leader need to be able to manage their own emotions and empathize with the emotions of their team members. The most effective practice for leader to mange feeling responsibly is empathy in term of emotional self-regulation, as suggestive practices are reduce your emotional anger, anxiety and fear, modify or control your thoughts and words before your action to your employee.

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Kreusna's Journey to adapting transformative leadership principles...

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Kreusna's Journey to adapting transformative leadership principles...

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"Connecting theoretical leadership principles to your practical leadership style: Explore gaps, monitor and evaluate effectiveness, and revise and prepare your next steps professionally."

Kreusna

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Cultivate new ideas ,concept and get rid of some customs

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Cultivate new ideas ,concept and get rid of some customs

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Everyone is core:  All individuals within the institution are essential contributors. Make sure that no one is left behind. Each person has their own unique and competencies.

Warm welcome  and hospitality: cultivate friendly and inclusive environment

Stakeholder involvement: Engaging all parties in decision-making processes. Inviting stakeholders to share perspectives, ideas and concerns

Check and balance system: make systems of oversight and feedback

Additionally, sense of belonging allows people to feel connected to each other and especially with institutions. In Cambodia, we have to get rid of some customs that have a negative impact and cause inefficiencies in the institutions.

Veng Kimyou

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Hi everyone, here is my video reflection. Please let me know if you cannot view it

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We have been working on setting goals and experimenting with new ideas. It is easy to get caught up with the end goa that we forget to check in with ourselves. How are we feeling right now? What sort of emotions are going on? Without much critical thinking, we can just according to our impulses which is not a characteristic of a good leader.

To enhance my ability to lead myself and others with care and feeling, I develop a habit of writing a journal, talking to a mentor, and taking action. We as humans to do not just have one emotion at a time which would have been easy to handle. The reality is we feel a mix of emotions all the time and it is within our control to respond appropriately. Whatever action we take will affect those that are following us. Personally, writing a journal calms me down because it gives me sometimes to think all aspects of the situation before making any irrational decision. I think it is all important to find someone you feel safe to share your feelings with. They might able to hold you accountable without bias. Lastly is to take that first step and turns your thought into the reality. You might not be perfect and some people will be upset your decision; but the worst crime is not to be a bystander.

In short, the ability to care and aware of your feeling are a crucial part of being a great leader.

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Enhancing Capacity for Care and Understanding Feelings

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Enhancing Capacity for Care and Understanding Feelings

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Strengthening the capacity for care and understanding feelings involves developing emotional intelligence (EI) and empathy.

(1). EI includes self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. Being aware of and managing one's emotions, harnessing them towards goals, understanding others' perspectives, and building effective relationships are key components. (2). Empathy, crucial for EI, involves cognitive empathy (understanding others' viewpoints), emotional empathy (feeling others' emotions), and compassionate empathy (taking action to help).

Practical steps to enhance these abilities include active listening, mindfulness, perspective-taking, emotional expression, and empathy training. Active listening and mindfulness help in recognizing and managing emotions, while perspective-taking and emotional expression foster understanding and open communication. Engaging in empathy training through activities like volunteering could promote a compassionate outlook.

Virak

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"Emotional capacity is not an individual's fixed trait; he can develop and improve it if he wants."
Do you feel like you're in a constant state of stress, anxiety or panic? Do you find yourself reacting to everyday situations with anger, frustration or self-doubt? Do you have trouble handling challenging circumstances without falling apart, worrying endlessly about what might go wrong, or feeling depressed? Everyone experiences negative emotions from time to time. But for some people, these feelings are so frequent and intense that they have a significant impact on their daily lives. This is where emotional capacity comes in. If you're reading this article, chances are you need to develop your emotional capacity-and fast.

Increasing your emotional capacity is an important life skill that can help boost your resiliency and improve your ability to cope with stressors and difficult situations.

What is Emotional Capacity?

Emotional capacity is the ability to be fully present in your life, experience a wide range of emotions and handle difficult feelings without falling apart. Essentially, it's your ability to manage your emotions, overcome limiting beliefs and manage stress, and ease to adapt to challenging situations and bounce back confidently with efficient strategy and the quality of their relationships.

But don't think that people are born with emotional capacity. - It's a Life Skill. It's Flexible. It's a scale that you can grow with effort and practice. A person possessing a high emotional capacity is better equipped to manage various situations, regulate emotions, face criticism fearlessly, foster positive relationships, and ultimately, maintain improved mental health.

What's Your Emotional Capacity Level?

Here are some examples that will help you find out: do you have low emotional capacity?

Emotions overflow, and you struggle to control them, but all goes in vain.

Unable to understand others' emotions and fail to empathize with them

Become frustrated or angry about your small mistakes or setbacks, even when they are not in your control.

Unable to bounce back from negative life experiences or stressful and challenging situations.

If you are unable to effectively communicate your emotions or hesitate to express them to others.

You try to avoid situations or conversations which involve emotions because you feel uncomfortable.

You easily engage in negative self-talk or always criticize yourself.

You have difficulty experiencing positive emotions like joy, love, or gratitude.

You often feel disconnected or isolated or try to isolate yourself from others.

You feel unable to build positive relationships.

You find yourself constantly struggling with self-regulation, like trying to manage emotions in stressful and challenging situations or even avoiding impulsive behavior.

Emotional Capacity Vs Emotional Intelligence

Emotional capacity and emotional intelligence are two related but distinct concepts.

Emotional capacity refers to a person's innate ability to experience and process emotions. Some people may have a higher emotional capacity than others, meaning they are more able to feel a range of emotions and handle intense emotions in a healthy way.

Emotional intelligence, on the other hand, is the ability to recognize, understand, and manage one's own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. ( Goleman, D. (2020). Emotional intelligence.) It involves being able to communicate effectively, empathize with others, and navigate social situations with emotional intelligence.

While emotional capacity is more innate and inherent, researchers suggest that emotional intelligence can be learned and improved through education, practice, and self-awareness. Both emotional capacity and emotional intelligence play important roles in overall emotional well-being and social functioning.

Causes of Low Emotional Capacity

Individuals who have lower emotional capacity often face challenges in managing their emotions. They may find it challenging to control their impulses and lash out at others, especially when they feel threatened or cornered. Lower emotional capacities are generally not because of some reasons, but sometimes the combination of genetic, environmental, and personal factors may become the cause of it like -

Parenting style also impacts emotional capacity. If parents give emotional warmth, play a positive role, and offer support, their children learn to cope with emotional challenges; otherwise, they struggle with low emotional capacity throughout life.

Some environmental factors may also be culprits, like discrimination, poverty, and social isolation.

Chronic stress, narcissistic behavior, and lack of emotional support and confidence may cause lower emotional capacity.

Trauma also becomes a cause of emotional dysregulation and lowering the emotional capacity, like neglect, abuse, or physical or emotional trauma.

Neurological conditions like ADHD, autism, or depression are also the reasons for lower emotional capacity.

Tips to Enhance Your Emotional Capacity

1. Acknowledge and Reflect on Your Emotions

If you are aware of your emotions, you can better control them. Awareness about your own and others' emotions and the emotional responses you get gives you a greater chance of developing higher emotional capacity. For example, suppose you identify and understand that you are feeling anxious or angry at a particular moment or due to any specific reason. In that case, you are better able to communicate or process those feelings, which will bring positive results.

The best thing is to keep a diary, track the time you feel that particular emotion comes, take notes about the reason behind it, and then go for further process of tackling the emotion.

2. Comprehend the Impact of Your Behavior

Though self-reflection is essential in developing emotional capacity, you can't neglect your own behavior and its effect on others. So always try to understand how others perceive your behavior and communication. If you make changes in your message just because others perceive it rightly, it will show how emotionally intelligent you are. You can also ask them about their feeling toward your behavior; it's also a significant step from your side.

3. Engage in Active Listening

Listen to others and observe their body language; thus, you can infer peoples' reactions. Moreover, suppose you actively listen to others, ask questions, repeat essential points, and nod to second their thought. In that case, all these things show that you respect your speaker, try to understand them, and are hopeful for good communication and building a healthy relationship.

4. Cultivate Mindfulness

If you regularly practice mindfulness, it makes you able to pay attention to your present moment and doesn't allow you to judge yourself. Thus, you can better understand your emotions, learn to manage them correctly, and able to increase your EC.

5. Enhance Communication Skills

Communication isn't bad, but remember to think before saying or writing any word. So, the information you share and your tone and behavior shape your relationship. Try to use assertive communication; it not only earns respect but shows a strong impact of your personality on others without becoming too aggressive or passive.

6. Maintain a Positive Outlook

Try to remain positive and motivated in stressful situations. When an emotionally intelligent person handles a situation positively and remains calm and motivated, his personality affects others. The whole team becomes relaxed and encouraged to find more solutions to problems.

7. Practice Empathy

Try to empathize with otters; it's a great trait and presents emotional strength; don't consider it a weakness. It's a great way to of developing a mutually respectful relationship.

8. Develop Stress Management Techniques

As stress is a reason for lowering emotional capacity, some stress management techniques, like meditation, exercise, or deep breathing, will be beneficial. Such techniques help you to remain calm, manage stress, and devise solutions to problems without panicking.

9. Reach Out for Support

If you think you need a therapist to help develop and polish your emotional capacity, don't worry. It's a normal thing to ask for support from friends and family and even a therapist.

Things People With Higher Emotional Capacity Never Do

People with higher emotional capacity tend to exhibit some common habits and behaviors and avoid others that may negatively impact their emotional well-being.

Avoiding the Emotional Trap

Such people listen to others calmly, give the best advice after thinking, and show empathy, but it doesn't mean they easily fall into the emotional trap. They don't allow others to blackmail them and rule over their lives emotionally.

Rising Above the Victim Mentality

A person with a high emotional capacity never feels victimized and always tries to find solutions, even in worse situations.

Finding Solutions

They never think they are run off good solutions or ideas; instead, they try to find them. Moreover, they never blame others or the situation for the problems.

Letting Go of Negative Thoughts

Individuals with high emotional intelligence possess the unique skill of controlling their cynical thoughts. They understand that negative thoughts are merely fleeting and tend to rely on factual information to draw conclusions while dismissing pessimistic ideas.

Learning from the Past

Such people don't feel sad due to past memories; they use them to learn from their mistakes and to make better choices.

Selfishness

They are selfish because a little bit of selfishness is essential. But they always think about others, help them, and give empathy.

Avoiding Groupthink

If everyone is doing something, it doesn't mean they will also do the same. They get inspiration from successful people and learn from others' mistakes, but never follow the mob without giving a thought to it.

Constructive Criticism

They have a productive mindset and know people can try their best, but success and failure are part of life. They never criticize others and shatter their personalities.

Conclusion

Enhancing emotional capacity can bring positive changes in a person's life and make them emotionally and physically strong. As EC is not fixed, a person can try to develop and polish it without age limitations. Thus, don't ignore this; try our guide to develop the emotional capacity to achieve mental well-being

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What is Emotional Capacity, and How to Grow It in the Right Way?

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Emotional capacity is the ability to be fully present in your life, experience a wide range of emotions and handle difficult feelings without falling apart. Essentially, it's your ability to manage your emotions, overcome limiting beliefs and manage stress, and ease to adapt to challenging situations and bounce back confidently with efficient strategy and the quality of their relationships.

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The reason why letting go and embrace uncertainty is so hard for everyone is that people always want to take control of everything. They want to know everything and want everything to happen as planned. However, we need to accept that things can go wrong at anytime and it does not always follow our plan regardless of how perfect and comprehensive the plan is.

The biggest challenge for me is the fear that thing will go at the reverse direction and what we have tried will go in vain. But this kind of thought hold me tightly to the task and not willing to let others handle the task. Then, I learn to let go and accept that we alone cannot do everything by ourselves. Learn to let go of the perfection that we expect, and accept whatever the result is as long as we try our best already.

Narath

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When uncertainty arises, it is pretty hard for us to decide if we should go with the flow or stand our ground. However, the answer doesn't need to be one of the two, but we can blend these two together to meet with our satisfaction. Be flexible by listening to others and be open minded for the ideas people giving you. Use your reasoning wisely if their suggestions are practical or not. Don't judge them based on what you want to hear or your preference. Remember your goal and destination, it doesn't matter if you take the detour as long as everyone is happy.

Narath

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Self-awareness and empathetic communication 

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Self-awareness and empathetic communication 

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-Self awareness

By understanding the bias, perspectives, and the things I value for are the most important because I can balance of my thoughts when I go to take both professional and personal commitments. Therefore, when I understand myself I can understand others as well and when I lead and listen to others, I have less judgement. I am aware of the diversities and the difference that we as a human being has.

-Empathetic communication

As a teacher who is careful about the students’ academic and non-academic development, and who always listens and works with the students and communities. I could find myself a empathetic mind since it’s important for my both professional and personal tasks. For instance, so many students reached out to me for help and some of them were struggling with their pursuing higher education mentally. As a teacher and also consultant, I called them for a talk, defining the actual problems were and things could have and will be done in order to continually support them. By listening less and non-judgmentally i found that Empathetic communication is quite important not for as a teacher, but for all as a human being.

Vuthy

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3. Journaling Session 3: Letting Go and Not Knowing

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Mr. Sunheng Kaing; Researcher at PIC and Lecturer at UP

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“Propose ideas and share feedback in good correspondence”

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“Propose ideas and share feedback in good correspondence”

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There are several points for active stakeholder which are crucial to actively embrace and advance inclusion, ensuring the participation of every diverse employee to optimize team performance and decrease burnout.

Promote meaningful engagement: encourage diverse stakeholders to actively participate in decision-making process, ensuring their voices are heard and valued. This can help in embedding a rang of stakeholders in the process with feedback mechanisms to ensure impact from their contributions.

Establish transparent communication channels: foster open communication to facilitate feedback mechanisms and ensure that information flows freely among stakeholders. Transparent communication is essential for promoting inclusivity and openness for feedback.

Address power dynamics: recognize and mitigate power differentials among stakeholders to promote equitable participation and decision-making processes which is crucial for creating an environment where all stakeholders feel empowered to contribute and provide feedback.

Implement inclusion strategies: utilize inclusion strategies such as creating enabling circumstances, influencing behavior, and influencing language use to diminish inequalities and promote collaboration which can help in fostering an inclusive work environment that is open to feedback.

Encourage accountability: hold stakeholders accountable for their action and commitments, promoting a culture of responsibility and follow-through in inclusion practices which is key to ensuring that stakeholders actively engage and provide constructive feedback in the environment.

Embrace diversity: emphasize the value of diverse perspectives and experiences, fostering a culture that celebrates differences and promote inclusivity in the work environment.

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A balanced approach to strengthen health sector in Cambodia

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A balanced approach to strengthen health sector in Cambodia

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Strengthening the healthcare sector in Cambodia requires a balanced approach that addresses both the demand and supply sides of the health system. Each side must change its perspective to create a more effective and sustainable healthcare environment.

Patients and the local communities shall see healthcare service delivery as a social right they are entitled to get as they are taxpayers. They must be proactive in seeking and demanding healthcare support and taking care of their health. The community should be able to voice their concern and demand for more effective and accessible healthcare services, including ambulances, qualified healthcare providers, health insurance schemes, or community health funds.

The local government (the supply side) at the district and commune levels should be given more authority and capacity to engage with and deliver healthcare services to their community. Decentralizing healthcare at the district and community levels could improve the situation. They are closer to the citizens and know more about what is needed and what should be done to deliver effective healthcare services to their citizens.

By addressing both the demand and supply sides, I believe the health system can become more responsive, accessible, and equitable.

Darin

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We do not have to invite everyone on our project. It is more important to get the right people. Just like this symbiosis, both helps each other reach their goal.  

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To create an inclusive, inviting and open to feedback work environment, we must understand the mission and vision of our project first because some people we can easily inviting in and others will need convincing. Let say for example, I want to create an inclusive health center in a rural area where mothers can come for consultation instead of going all the way to town. Similar to the other fellow, we should identify all the stakeholders which include mothers, healthcare providers, and health policy makers. Understanding who are we working with then we can work towards a vision together. People are likely to get along and work from their heart, not just for the benefits, when they have a vision and believe that what they do is for an important cause. Furthermore, we should a create a safe system for feedback loop where people do not have to go straight to social media as a way to express their anger. A suggestion box with both writing and pictures/icons should be placed to help give an easy review. The building itself should accommodate wheelchairs for those with disabilities. In short, it is always good to be prepared for different scenarios, but must learn quickly and adapt to the new situation as well.

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Book Launch Event: Effective Outreach Strategies and Harmful Social Norms related to GBV Handbooks at Coconut Park, Phnom Penh. 

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Effective leadership, grounded in care and empathy,...

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Effective leadership, grounded in care and empathy,...

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It plays a crucial role in managing teams. Here are some practices to enhance this approach:

Active Listening:

Empathetic Presence: As a manager, actively listen to team members. Reflective listening demonstrates understanding and empathy.

Put Yourself in Their Shoes: Understand their perspectives and emotions through self-reflection.

Recognition and Appreciation:

Acknowledge Efforts: Regularly recognize and appreciate individual and team contributions.

Ground Rules: Set clear expectations and ground rules for non-compliance.

Emotional Regulation:

Decisions Unaffected by Personal Emotions: When making decisions, remain calm and ensure personal feelings do not sway choices.

Kreusna

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Building a Supportive and Inclusive Healthcare Environment in Cambodia

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Building a Supportive and Inclusive Healthcare Environment in Cambodia

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Engage leadership and build trust

Ensuring transparent leadership is vital, as healthcare leaders must be open in their decision-making and communicate clearly with both staff and patients. Providing inclusive leadership training is also important, educating leaders on the significance of inclusivity and how to foster a supportive environment. Additionally, making healthcare leaders accessible to all employees and patients helps build trust and facilitates open communication.

Strengthen Infrastructure and Resources

Investing in healthcare facility upgrades is crucial to creating a more welcoming and efficient environment. Ensuring that healthcare workers have access to adequate supplies and equipment is essential for providing quality care. Additionally, expanding telemedicine services to reach remote areas will enable continuous care and improve accessibility for all populations.

Enhance Workforce Diversity and Inclusion

To enhance the healthcare system in Cambodia, it is essential to provide cultural competence training for healthcare workers to improve their understanding and respect for the country's diverse cultures and communities. Additionally, adopting inclusive hiring practices by actively recruiting individuals from underrepresented groups, such as ethnic minorities and women, will ensure a diverse workforce. Employing community health workers who are trusted members of the communities they serve can further bridge gaps between healthcare providers and patients, fostering a more inclusive and effective healthcare environment.

Enhance Community Engagement

Implementing community health education programs is crucial to raising awareness about healthcare services and preventive measures. Collaborating with non-governmental organizations can help reach underserved communities and provide comprehensive healthcare services. Using mobile health clinics ensures accessibility for all populations, especially in remote and rural areas. Developing patient feedback systems, such as suggestion boxes, surveys, and hotlines, allows patients to voice their experiences with healthcare services. Holding regular stakeholder meetings with healthcare providers, patients, and community leaders facilitates feedback gathering and discussions on improvements. Additionally, creating anonymous reporting systems for healthcare workers ensures they can report issues without fear of retribution.

Support Mental Health and Wellbeing

Increasing the availability of mental health services and integrating them into primary healthcare is essential for comprehensive patient care. Providing stress management and resilience-building workshops for healthcare workers helps them cope with job-related pressures. Additionally, developing community support networks can effectively address mental health issues and reduce stigma, fostering a healthier and more supportive environment.

Promote Collaboration and Supportive Work Culture

Promoting collaborative projects between different healthcare facilities and departments facilitates the sharing of best practices and resources. Designing inclusive workspaces that promote collaboration and open communication among healthcare workers further enhances teamwork. Implementing anti-discrimination policies, promoting work-life balance initiatives, and developing recognition programs to reward the achievements and contributions of healthcare workers fosters a positive and motivating work environment.

Virak

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Primary healthcare remains the foundation for all in Cambodia

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Forty years ago, in 1978, as Cambodia was facing its gravest hour, the countries of the world gathered in Alma-Ata in the Soviet Union to recognise health as a human right and agree to bring healthcare close to where communities live, with their full participation, and to work across sectors to achieve health for all.

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The future of the healthcare system in Cambodia that I envision is that everyone can receive quality healthcare regardless of their social and financial status. Since I was a child, I have heard a lot from family and friends regarding their trust in our health system and the financial hardship they may face after receiving the treatment. There are some people who choose not to be treated as they couldn't afford for it. Thus, what I wish to see is that everyone can get access to health care without worrying of the financial hardship. As I am working in Public health sector, I know it will be time consuming and take a lot of commitment to fulfill the wish of mine. Though I know there are not many things I can do in my power, but for every time I teach, every time I meet our fellow health professional, I always inspire that it is time for us to work together for the betterment of Cambodia health system and it should start from us.

Narath

Project coordinator at the National Institute of Public Health

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Health Equity and Quality Improvement Project Phase 2

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Health Equity and Quality Improvement Project Phase 2

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Cambodia has collaborated with the World Bank and other development partnerships to implement projects , Health Equity and Quality Improvement in cambodia. There are two phases and phase 1 finished. Phase 2 has started since 2022 for all levels of health facilities .It has 5 years between 2022-2027.

This project is a key to enhancing and strengthening the health system. As a result, it provides great opportunities for Cambodia's health service toward UHC ( universal health coverage) .

It has tools to measure and observe during implementation. There are different tools for different levels of health facilities and each tool allows the health  facilities to improve health care service.

Health financing is an important role play in Cambodia's health system. Due to this project it helps  reduce out of pocket expenditure for health  care users. Meanwhile it also contributes to sustaining financial in health the system.

Veng Kimyou

Nurse

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Health Equity and Quality Improvement Project Phase 2

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Development Projects : Cambodia Health Equity and Quality Improvement Project - Phase 2 - P173368

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Development Projects : Cambodia Health Equity and Quality Improvement Project - Phase 2 - P173368

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"Social Media for Information Dissemination" 

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"Social Media for Information Dissemination" 

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I think that nowadays, most Cambodians are familiar with social media, especially Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. I believe this presents an opportunity to spread information and reach people in Cambodia. These platforms should be considered essential. Content creators also play an important role in disseminating information; they create many vlogs, posts, and videos on social media, mostly about products and businesses.

What if we use these actions to serve the healthcare system? I believe that this would have a significant impact on people.

Here are some examples of how RHAC has been using these platforms to spread information on social media:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VpYiOCi9UU

https://www.facebook.com/rhacpage/videos/414123024958333/?mibextid=oFDknk&rdid=4PHfUnhGMisHTZUA

Sophea,

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A roadmap to lead need-based and timely responses of primary health care: Primary Health Care Booster Implementation Framework (PHC-BIF)

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A roadmap to lead need-based and timely responses of primary health care: Primary Health Care Booster Implementation Framework (PHC-BIF)

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To ensure need-based and timely responses of primary health care ranging from prevention to palliative care, Cambodia established a roadmap for guiding all levels from national to community levels in acting as key focal points for improving health service provisions based on their context and health needs.

One among other core information in this framework that you'll be able to find out is key actions for all relevant counterparts who can contribute to the goals of the Royal Government of Cambodia to reach quality health services and the Universal Health Coverage.

Sreyroth

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"Access to quality healthcare services for all people with no harm to their financial stability"

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"Access to quality healthcare services for all people with no harm to their financial stability"

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One perspective from health sector actors that I recognized and that everyone might already hear of is "access to quality healthcare services for all people with no harm to their financial stability" by adapting participatory approach to customize resources in responding to needs.

As Cambodia is a developing country, we are having limited-resources for contributing to the above mentioned goal meanwhile we also have to ensure sustainability of the development. Thus, one thing we can do is by engaging existing human resources either at community levels and other sectors. For instance, integrating the screening for non-communicable diseases at community level by having "village health support group" support this approach because they already have some basic knowledge and experiences in health sector, and they may be able to provide effective & preventive solutions for dealing with any bottlenecks.

Sreyroth

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The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.--Chinese Proverb 

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We may have a hypothesis for our experiment; the truth of it all is we do not know what the result is going to turn out. If we were to knit and pick out every single problem in the healthcare system, we might need to sit here until our hair turns gray. In the field that I am working on right now which is children with disabilities, a new approach that is a true definition of holistic care is community based rehabilitation (CBR). There are many forms of CBR, one of which is to have a mobile clinic with services such as nursing, intervention, physiotherapy, and social work. While it is important for children with disabilities to receive medicine and physical exercise, if the child is not safe at home and there is no stable income, it is close to impossible for them to have a quality of life. Although there are many NGOs in Siem Reap providing services to families of children with disabilities, most focus on either the livelihood program or medical treatment, but rarely both. Oftentimes, families have to pay high out of pocket expenditure and travel long distances for a one-time treatment. What is unique about CBR, which provides four core services, is that it delivers care to the heart of their community. I wish more programs could be based on their model because this is the definition of holistic care. To ensure the quality of life of children with disabilities, approaching the issue from only a medical angle is not enough. All aspects of their lives should all be considered in program design or policy advocacy.

Naren Chhoum

Nurse

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Edutainment Podcast on "Gender-based Violence" with esteemed guest speaker, Ms. Neou Sovattha, Country Director - CARE Cambodia. 

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Creating an inclusive work environment among stakeholders to improve the health system in Cambodia

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Creating an inclusive work environment among stakeholders to improve the health system in Cambodia

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Stakeholder Analysis:

Practically apply stakeholder analysis to understand their interests and power dynamics. And engage stakeholders effectively, keeping them informed and at the center of decision-making.

Dialogue Engagement:

It involves fostering dialogue among beneficiary groups, program implementers, and relevant stakeholders. This method to identify problems, challenges, and unmet needs collaboratively.

Timely Information Sharing: Provide relevant, accurate, and updated information on data, policy briefs, and related topics. Academic rigor ensures informed decision-making.

Stakeholder Participation: Invite stakeholders to community-based meetings, national workshops, and public events. Address solutions and drive continuous improvement.

Monitoring and Evaluation:

Take into action: develop SMART measurement frameworks. Regularly evaluate implemented processes, allowing for necessary adjustments and swift plans.

“In addition to stakeholder invitations and engagement, we incorporate their voices, ideas, and responsibilities into actionable steps using regular monitoring and evaluation frameworks.”

Kreusna

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Cambodian health care system: Health expenditure

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Cambodian health care system: Health expenditure

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Cambodia’s health care sector includes public and private hospitals with both non-profit and for-profit business models. The public sector delivers most preventive services and inpatient care, while private sector facilities tend to provide outpatient curative consultations. However, in the report by GIZ Cambodia in 2017, it was mentioned that out-of-pocket payments represented 63% of total health care expenditure, which means patients need to pay themselves.

Of course, Cambodian governance tries to solve these problems by implementing the Health Equity Fund (HEF) and the National Social Security Fund (NSSF); therefore, only 20% of the total Cambodian population could benefit from the HEF, while the NSSF was covering less than 2 million workers in 2020. According to the government, plans and strategies to enhance the quality of care and implement a long-term vision for the health care system were planned and implemented. This task was focused on solving the gap in health care quality between urban and rural areas, and the second was to increase financial risk protection for different socioeconomic groups accessing health care.

Overall, the quality of public hospitals has improved significantly, but not enough to significantly change the level of trust that locals have in them. In the long term, health professionals predict that public hospitals will become better health care providers than small private clinics.

Virak

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During internship in Angkor hospital for children 

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To strengthen Cambodia’s health system we should focus on Human Capital. School is the place to develop health care providers. It plays an important role in enhancing the health sector. Make sure medical school is not a place to learn, but it equips people with high capacity both theory and practical.Meanwhile, we need to create a space for students to do research and express their ideas. We should have a fund to support them.

The health facilities should have capacity to train the medical students during their internship. These are also really crucial to improve their clinical skills. My personal experiences of some of the health facilities that I used to intern are not willing to provide the value of knowledge and experiences. Furthermore, the circumstances were bad during the internship.

Human Capital is the key factor to bolster the health system in cambodia.

Veng Kimyou

Nurse

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MR. Sunheng Kaing; Researcher at PIC and Lecturer at UP

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“National conducting healthcare information system in Cambodia”

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“National conducting healthcare information system in Cambodia”

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The second conducting through Cambodian ministry of health used the master plan 2016-2020 of health information system for tracking patient’s datas and all those datas were stored and shared to each between ministry of health department, national hospital, provincial hospital, referral hospitals, health center and NGO. So the system recorded informative key features such as outpatient care, inpatient care, laboratory, maternal & child health, immunization, communicable diseases, dental care, blood bank, imaging and physiotherapy. The historical datas will be used for international institutes and universities, and researchers as well as investigators from development partners seeking information on health system performance in Cambodia.

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Mr. Sunheng Kaing; Researcher at PIC and Lecturer at UP

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“Getting know problems and conducting strategic solutions in healthcare system in Cambodia”

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“Getting know problems and conducting strategic solutions in healthcare system in Cambodia”

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Healthcare solutions in Cambodia need more efficiency solutions for taking advance challenges and then break through implementing healthcare initiatives. There are two publications that I am sharing for peers leadership program. In the first title is “Improving local health through community health workers in Cambodia: challenges and solutions” which conducted from 2009-2019. This first article wanted to reveal community health workers play a key role for delivery four hot topic tissues such as tropical infectious diseases, maternal and child health, lifestyle issues and hygiene and sanitations. Community health care workers identified the problem-facing and informed to NGO organizations related to coordinators working on sustainable health improvements.

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improving local health through community health workers in Cambodia

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Khatri, RJ, Ozano, KA and Simkhada, P (2018) Improving local health through community health workers in Cambodia: challenges and solutions. Human Resources for Health, 16 (2). ISSN 1478-4491

Abstract

Volunteer community health workers (CHWs) are an important link between the public health system and the community. The 'Community Participation Policy for Health' in Cambodia identifies CHWs as key to local health promotion and as a critical link between district health centres and the community. However, research on the challenges CHWs face and identifying what is required to optimise their performance is limited in the Cambodian context. This research explores the views of CHWs in rural Cambodia, on the challenges they face when implementing health initiatives.

View Item

CORE (COnnecting REpositories)

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Khatri, RJ, Ozano, KA and Simkhada, P (2018) Improving local health through community health workers in Cambodia: challenges and solutions. Human Resources for Health, 16 (2). ISSN 1478-4491 Volunteer community health workers (CHWs) are an important link between the public health system and the community.

# data[].attributes.headline
“Getting know problems and conducting strategic solutions in healthcare system in Cambodia”

# data[].attributes.subject
“Getting know problems and conducting strategic solutions in healthcare system in Cambodia”

# data[].attributes.body
Healthcare solutions in Cambodia need more efficiency solutions for taking advance challenges and then break through implementing healthcare initiatives. There are two publications that I am sharing for peers leadership program. In the first title is “Improving local health through community health workers in Cambodia: challenges and solutions” which conducted from 2009-2019. This first article wanted to reveal community health workers play a key role for delivery four hot topic tissues such as tropical infectious diseases, maternal and child health, lifestyle issues and hygiene and sanitations. Community health care workers identified the problem-facing and informed to NGO organizations related to coordinators working on sustainable health improvements.

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.alternative_text
improving local health through community health workers in Cambodia

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Khatri, RJ, Ozano, KA and Simkhada, P (2018) Improving local health through community health workers in Cambodia: challenges and solutions. Human Resources for Health, 16 (2). ISSN 1478-4491

Abstract

Volunteer community health workers (CHWs) are an important link between the public health system and the community. The 'Community Participation Policy for Health' in Cambodia identifies CHWs as key to local health promotion and as a critical link between district health centres and the community. However, research on the challenges CHWs face and identifying what is required to optimise their performance is limited in the Cambodian context. This research explores the views of CHWs in rural Cambodia, on the challenges they face when implementing health initiatives.

View Item

CORE (COnnecting REpositories)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Khatri, RJ, Ozano, KA and Simkhada, P (2018) Improving local health through community health workers in Cambodia: challenges and solutions. Human Resources for Health, 16 (2). ISSN 1478-4491 Volunteer community health workers (CHWs) are an important link between the public health system and the community.

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The pattern or trend that others might miss could be identifying people who are ready and eager to change and improve things (target participant or contributor). For example, when training teachers at primary, elementary, and high school levels about adolescent health, we need to ask if they genuinely want to engage, share, and implement what they have learned with their students. Are the selected teachers transformative leaders? This should be considered. Potential candidates should be from the younger generation or youth, willing to learn new things, and possess transformative opinions.

That's how I think because I have experience working with many people from different backgrounds and perspectives. They have their own opinions and beliefs on how things should be done and manage them in their own ways. Some people are okay with change, while others have adapted well to the old system and accept it, don’t want to change at all.

Sophea,

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I was asked to summary a lesson at UNESCAP in Bangkok. 

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Dealing with the feeling of uncertainty at the workplace or around people, I strongly motivated myself to be more flexible and keep the idea that "everything is a lesson learned."

Working with different people and different places requires strong motivation. Working is not like what we study in class; it is like a war on the battle field.

I entered a different position of work after I graduated from my BA in International Relations. It was not fun, but it taught me a lot about how and why "being flexible" matters for myself.

I started working full-time with local NGOs and part-time as a translator (English to Khmer and vice versa) at one of the most the most well-known media outlets in Cambodia. Then I jumped myself into the field of journalism, where I started to learn how to write stories. Long months later, I applied to work in the field of human rights defenders. It was amazing, but it was dangerous as well. The job requires you to be strong and flexible.

Life is not fun at all, but learning to adapt by using "flexible methods and defining it as a lesson learned"—I"would say it helps me a lot for these few years of working experiences.

By Sameang Chea

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Scaling mental health issues in Cambodia

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Scaling mental health issues in Cambodia

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Looking back to 2022, I was selected to join as a young research fellow at Future Forum to spend my one-year learning intensive course (six months of training and six months of writing). Every fellow was asked to find and scale their topic interest. As a result, I found a topic to go deep into and pitch the ideas to write.

To empower mental health issues, there are many ways to advocate, so I chose "writing a story" as a way to navigate my ideas about why I care about public health in Cambodia.

Connecting with "understanding why,"  people might say, empowering public health might require people to be experts on health issues, but it is not really.

I was debating and sharing my ideas with my fellows colleagues with evidence I found, and as a result, I was asked by many advisors to jump and dig that story out to readers since there were not many youth who were interested in discussing "mental issues" in Cambodia.

If you want to read more on what I found, please read my piece at Southeast Asia Globe: https://southeastasiaglobe.com/buddhist-teaching-is-a-tool-for-mental-health-support-in-cambodia/

For those can't access to read Globe, you can read via Kiripost: https://kiripost.com/stories/buddhist-teaching-is-a-tool-for-mental-health-support-in-cambodia

By Sameang Chea

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Basbhat, or 'broken courage,' is a Cambodian idiom for emotional and mental distress that is often related to people's traumatic experiences under the Khmer Rouge regime. This term is specifically used to talk about mental health in a cultural context where taboos and stigma often prevent an open discussion.

This kind of trauma isn't just limited to those who lived through the Khmer Rouge. It can also manifest in younger people in the form of 'generational trauma,' which links the negative experiences of parents or grandparents to their children's mental health.

In a Cambodianess article, Hoeur Sethul, president of the Cambodia Association for Counselors and Psychologists, noted that such trauma is likely one of the major causes of depression, anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among Cambodian youths, believing that it also contributes to the high suicide risk among teenagers.

Insufficient funding, lack of political will, limited solidarity from forefront stakeholders, and shortage of public mental health trainers makes it a hard task for the country to build a strong mental support system in the near future. In the meantime, the community could consider using available cultural resources and traditional practices such as Buddhist teachings. Improving solidarity with forefront stakeholders such as health/mental health advocacy initiatives) and religious actors would be an effective solution to start decentralising the mental health support system.

Specifically, the principles of Buddhism may be considered a context-suitable and culturally aware vehicle for providing much needed mental and emotional support to all generations of Cambodians.

The tiered towers of a Buddhist temple look over the city of Phnom Penh. Photo: Sameang Chea for Southeast Asia Globe

Impacts of limited resources
While the Ministry of Health acknowledged the high rates of mental disorders, the government's overall investment in mental health services remains extremely low. Data shows only 2% of the budget for the Health Strategic Plan from 2016 to 2020 was spent on mental health.

In 2015, only 73 out of 102 referral hospitals and only 194 out of 1,141 health centres offered psychiatric consultations and primary mental health services. As of 2022, less than 10% of the Cambodian population has access to mental-health services and only 2% of the overall healthcare facilities nationwide offer mental health treatment.

This lack of effective mental health support was especially felt in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The country is now facing alarming consequences.

Recent data from the Cambodian National Police also indicates that the suicide cases in Cambodia are increasing. It reveals that in the first quarter of 2022, the country saw 247 suicide attempts, 242 of which were successful. Five people survived with injuries.

The reality is without solutions that consider Cambodia's cultural context, the struggle to tackle mental health will have economic implications on the populace. To increase their ability to work, a concerted effort between the Ministry of Public Health, private therapists, and Buddhist monks need to come together to help. Only with strong mental health support can the community achieve full economic inclusion and lifelong well-being.

To make this happen, Buddhist monks could teach meditation, testimonial therapy, embodied spirituality, and interoception methods that could be applied to heal.

A man prays to Buddhist monks holding umbrellas on a street in Phnom Penh. Photo: Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP

Culturally relevant mental health
While the '2016-2020 Health Strategic Plan' by the Ministry of Health specifically mentions the need to develop services for mental health disorders and substance abuse, it doesn't acknowledge the potential inclusion of religious stakeholders or practices in its initiatives. Neither has the public sector yet embarked on any activity that brings religious leaders to the table in a systemised way. Yet, key organisations active in this field have shown that incorporating culturally relevant religious practices could be highly beneficial.

As a result, some NGOs and private mental health consultants have been working to enhance and support mental health advocacy groups and institutions. Some include Cambodian Transcultural Psychosocial Organisation, (TPO), Sneha Centre, and Arom Station.

To reduce the gap between the need and the service provided, the Cambodian government, in cooperation with the Singapore International Volunteers, has launched a two-year project that aims to grow mental health care capacity in Cambodian hospitals. The outcome is expected to benefit around 30,000 people by 2024.

The local organisation TPO is especially active in promoting that spirituality plays a role in the mental health of their clients.

The group addresses local beliefs in their treatment process, combined with more standard tools like psychotherapy and medication. It uses mental health support tips and Buddhist ceremonies as a part of its counselling procedures, including rituals that acknowledge the death of loved ones.

As part of the population seeks traditional medicine treatments, Kru Khmer, or traditional healers, play a key role in the society, along with Buddhist monks, mediums, and fortune tellers.

A 2019 article, A pathway to mental health, showed the diversification and fruitful practice of merging western psychological and psychiatric methods with local traditions such as imam, medium, monks, and traditional healers. These practices together could offer an effective and culturally sensitive approach that seems to be in the best interest of mental health patients in Cambodia.

But there are more steps that the country could take to expand this combined approach, as well as more ways that Buddhism could play a key role in this process.
Trust in Buddhist traditions

As the major national religion, Buddhism has great potential to foster the trust of people in need of support while being wary of western conceptions of mental health. For centuries, Cambodian people have trusted Buddhist monks without questioning Buddhism practices.

Worshippers from the community burn joss sticks as part of an ancient tradition offering smoke to the deities at a Buddhist temple in Phnom Penh. Photo: Sameang Chea for Southeast Asia Globe

The role of spiritual trust has been the subject of several academic research papers, one of which showed that Cambodian monks have been playing a crucial role in delivering mental health support to the local communities by assisting them in developing peace of mind and inner harmony.

This trust in religious leaders is not limited to negative or traumatic events. The community also invites monks on wedding days to give a water blessing or a chanting, similar to the Christian holy water blessing performed by a bishop. Local communities often turn to traditional healing methods and Buddhism also to seek prosperity and happiness, sometimes through wearing amulets and magic bands.

These rituals are believed to help people to recover from 'broken courage' and avoid unknown future danger, according to the article released in medical anthropology in 2013.

Monks often offer spiritual consultation and give advice to war veterans, as well as teenagers, elders, and new families. From 1978 to 1992, a monk named Maha Ghosananda worked with Cambodian refugees on the Thai-Cambodian frontier, helping meet their physical, moral and spiritual needs.He also established a walk for peace (Dhammayietra) along with other groups of monks from village to village to take care of sick people and preach Dharma on compassion, and community reconciliation.

Cambodia's new generations also entrust 'monk influencers' who provide the community with advice based on Buddhist teaching. Thousands of people tune into video and audio podcasts of monks or dharma talk apps, and thousands more follow and consume social media content of influential monks such as Kou Sopheap, San Sochea, and Bhikkhu Kassapa.

A BBC report from June 2021 found that youth are inspired by the teachings of monk influencers like Venerable Kou Sopheap, and consider them as role models.

These monk-influencers have a strong capacity to connect old and young generations through social media platforms. This is likely the most effective way to reach out to the community nowadays, unlike in the past, when monks could only preach Dhama talk at ceremony events at the temple or at people's houses.
Although Cambodia seems to be walking forward in incorporating Buddhism in mental health support practices, other Asian countries have previously attempted to connect the Buddhist teachings to mental health support programmes.

Bhutan has begun turning to Buddhism to play this kind of role since early 2018. The Bhutanese government passed a five-year action plan from 2018 to 2023 on suicide prevention in the country, which aims to call religious actors to collaborate with public institutions to address mental health issues. .

On the same line, Cambodia should use the available resources to address the mental health needs of its citizens. Buddhism, together with more common mental health support practices, has the potential to play a life-changing role in thousands of Cambodians who are struggling with mental health issues or trauma. It would be the key for addressing these issues and improving the future well-being of the country.
Sameang Chea is a junior research fellow at Future Forum, an independent think tank generating new thinking for a new Cambodia.

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Buddhist teaching is a tool for mental health support in Cambodia

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The ancient spiritual practice is providing support to sufferers of intergenerational trauma and mental health issues in the Kingdom

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To strengthen a community, one must consider each of its components. Similar to this community of the floating village at Kompong Plouk, a major player that sustains the community is quite literally the fish and yet they aren't always visible.   

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A key actor that would strengthen the healthcare system is youth. Cambodia is a young country with a large population of young adults. It is naive of us not to consider this group in advancing health policies. As the number of internet users increases, media is no longer consumed via traditional methods such as newspapers, radio, or TV. Tik Tok, Instagram, and Facebook trends are designed to retain people's attention. Who is making a better trend than youth? People begin working on something unless they care. The more people talk about it the more urgent it becomes. Policy gets adopted quicker when it is on high demand. Many NGOs have already established youth and social media programs to get young adults interested in problems that matter instead of meaningless scrolling.

Another unique characteristic of youth that can increase the diversity in the group is that they have a curious mind. Curiosity can add a new layer of perspective into the conversation. Furthermore, they are more likely to adopt new concepts and take a different angle in attacking the problem. Of course there is a limit to what they could do, but I believe that youth will serve as a valuable member  in shaping the future of the Cambodian healthcare system.

Naren Chhoum

Nurse

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រឿងបងស្រី (My Sister is an Outreach Worker for Female Entertainment Workers....)

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“WE ARE TOGETHER leads to achieving the realization of the SDG agenda by ensuring ‘Leaving No One Behind!"

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“WE ARE TOGETHER leads to achieving the realization of the SDG agenda by ensuring ‘Leaving No One Behind!"

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We emphasize reaching high-risk groups, including Female Entertainment Workers (FEWs), key populations at high risk for HIV/AIDS, people with disabilities, minority groups, LGBTQI+ individuals, uneducated youth, women, and children.

Our goal is to provide them with access to high-quality healthcare services and a social protection system free from discriminatory environments and violence.

Kreusna

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ការពារខ្លួនអ្នក

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Because I'm unable to control the future events so I'm afraid of losing what's already known. 

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Because I'm unable to control the future events so I'm afraid of losing what's already known. 

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If I let go some things that I already set and believe that it's effective, I would feel lost and afraid of losing what's already known. Afraid of be discouraged due to uncontrollable future events that I choose to embrace.

For instance, I once had a preconceived notion that procrastination was fine because I delayed to review lessons before exam but I could still do the exam well at the end. That's because I understood the lessons so no need to work hard on it. I thought that it's a waste of time and I could do it just for a specific timeframe. Contradictorily, when at work, it's completely different. Procrastination is devastating. The quality of work will be wrecked if I hold this habit with me because thing always need the right time. It was so hard for me to let it go at first. However, I kept telling myself that I needed to be proactive and be always on time because many tasks can come at the same time. If I postponed it, I'd double my tasks. And this would affect more things that I could not know in advance.

Sreyroth

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Mr. Sunheng Kaing; Researcher at PIC and Lecturer at UP

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“Robust health system building blocks to overcome easily public healthcare assessment for Cambodian people healthier”

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“Robust health system building blocks to overcome easily public healthcare assessment for Cambodian people healthier”

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Assembly health sector in Cambodia need to be crucial strengthen health system indeed working a system building block. A health system actor approach requires an understanding and action on the multiple factors involved in each of the areas that make up the health-care system such as leadership, health care financing, health care providers, pharmaceutical products, artificial technologies, and research to play crucial roles in shaping healthcare delivery and outcomes in each health care level with equality.

These actors influence various aspects of the health system such as leadership makes policy in term of interventional design to health professionals for frontline implementation is in context of management patients which healthcare providers need to follow effectively performance through standard rational medicine treatments, consultation and good communication with patients. Emphasizing patient involvement with health technology assessment has proven beneficial influencing information in light on illness experiences, prevention, and management of health services. Research innovation addresses health issues and challenges then work fostering collaboration with key stakeholders for considering effective strategies.

All those above perspectives and actions impact the quality of care, access to services, resource allocation, and overall system effectiveness. Understanding the interactions between these actors, considering factors like competence, cultural influences, and systemic challenges; is essential for promoting patient-centered care, improving health outcomes, advancing the efficiency and integrity of healthcare systems.

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Addressing Rural Health Disparities in Cambodia

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Addressing Rural Health Disparities in Cambodia

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Achieving universal health coverage (UHC) and ensuring public health for all citizens is very important that Cambodian governance needs to consider and pay more attention to. Of course, the NCDs were increasing day-to-day, resulting in the highest rate of disability and death in Cambodia. This concern is raised, especially in rural areas where outpatient service utilisation is low in the public sector, with more than 50% of people seeking care from private providers, highlighting the need for strengthening the public health sector through infrastructure, training, and resource allocation.

The government is committed to improving healthcare access and quality, despite challenges such as high out-of-pocket expenditures and a poorly regulated private sector. Initiatives like Health Equity Funds and voucher schemes provide financial risk protection for the poor. Still, challenges remain in access to and quality of healthcare services, highlighting the need for continued efforts to enhance healthcare access. This will require concrete action to be taken to make sure public health services are available and provide quality healthcare to every population. Those concrete actions are: (1) improving healthcare services at the public health center; (2) providing enough medical storage and capacity at the health center level to deal with NCDs diagnosis and treatment; (3) identifying the target population that is at high risk for receiving HEF and extended NSSF coverage; and (4) promoting health education campaigns, which should be considered the top priorities.

However, according to my current work as a researcher and lecturer, I have been sharing my view through scientific publications in national and international journals, conferences, webinars, et cetera. This is the way to inform policymakers and governance to keep in mind for future implementation needs as necessary.

Virak

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Things sometimes do not go as planned. Any unexpected events might occur during the implementation of activities to reach goals. So, being conscious and maintaining my goals are important. And don't let those unforeseen things stop me from achieving it. Never give up on it! Yet, I alone cannot do it. By gathering viewpoints from different stakeholders/edges, I can gain more trust and cooperation from those who share their thoughts and insights. Meanwhile, what I have set may not be inclusive/strong enough. Thus, seeking and listening for feedback on what I've thought about and done is crucial for effectively changing things.

Sreyroth

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Mr. Sunheng Kaing; Researcher at PIC and Lecturer at UP

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“Forgive your moments in the past and accept the reality in the present for moving on your ability to the future”

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“Forgive your moments in the past and accept the reality in the present for moving on your ability to the future”

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Yourself well-being nature is hard to change quickly and hard to adapt accomplishing in the high productivity.

“Letting go” means linking to your inner process for emotional healthy in term of controlling your fear and anxiety, societal constructs kinds like lack of regulation support and also environmental contributes which you should know and strength them to adapting successfully move on from the past situations even it was bad or good experience results.

“Embracing uncertainty” can be hard to achieve due to many suggestive causes are likely relavant to cultural views, human tendency to seek certainty in time of upheaval, the pervasive nature in various individually aspects of life experiences, human nature’s inclination to seek confirmation for avoiding disconfirmation and complex interplay of personal awareness. All these above reasons are the challenges to reveal unpredictable nature of innovation process and inability to accurately predict outcomes that is a clue to leading a decision-making and policy design.

The biggest challenger for me is embracing uncertainty due to cultural associations, vulnerability which are discomfortable to make decision with insufficient information. For example, when wanting to pursue the patients to trust drug treatments, need to find good explanation to them get critical knowing by their belief. Sometimes, fostering yourself to challenge embracing uncertainty in medicine is hard to achieve challenging because of evolving medical knowledge and inherent uncertainty in general practice.

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I would like to focus on integrated care delivery and the strengthening of the referral system across different levels of healthcare. This focus is crucial for ensuring that patients receive seamless, coordinated care, which can significantly enhance health outcomes and overall social wellbeing.

Integrated care delivery involves coordinating services across various healthcare providers and settings to offer comprehensive and continuous care to patients. This approach is particularly important for Cambodia, which is experiencing a double burden of CD/NCDs. On top of these, the country will see the silver population and their rapidly changing needs before the country realizes demographic dividend.

The healthcare system must manage chronic conditions and complex health issues that require input from multiple stakeholders rather than looking at care delivery from a siloed disease group. For example, a large cohort of HIV patients in Cambodia, particularly baby boomers, are now aging and facing increased NCD risks. By integrating care, we can ensure that these HIV patients receive timely and appropriate interventions for both HIV and NCD in a cohesive manner, preventing gaps in care that can lead to adverse health outcomes, patient attrition, or just simply inefficient & costly care provision.

Strengthening the referral system is an essential component of integrated care delivery I am keen to put more thought. A well-functioning referral system ensures that patients are efficiently guided through the healthcare continuum, from primary care to specialized services, and back to community or primary care for ongoing management. In many healthcare systems, especially in developing countries like Cambodia, referral systems are often fragmented and inefficient, leading to delays in treatment, increased patient dissatisfaction, patient loss, and higher healthcare costs. A question I would like to think through: "how could we develop a healthcare system robust enough to respond to a rapidly changing needs of our population?" I invite our batchmate to think through this question with me.

Kimhong Gove

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Accept the results or consequences when it comes 

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Accept the results or consequences when it comes 

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Most people, myself included, don't want change, because we are worried or fear about loss. It is hurt to let go of what we used to have for a long time. In addition,unpredictable events or conditions in the future. We tend to predict or guest the results. In case, we do not know it is such a burden to worry about consequences . Risky taking, taking a step to an unknown position or path is truly difficult. One step can be the step for success or the step for failure.

The biggest challenge is to standstill in the storm without understanding the direction of the wind. It means that knowing nothing about the current situation.Facing uncertainty is really hard , particularly when it comes to maintaining mental health and staying calm. Finally, we need to accept all kind the results and consequences

Veng Kimyou

Nurse ( health center )

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More than mere consideration, taking action toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC)...

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More than mere consideration, taking action toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC)...

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Beyond the existing good policies, it requires effective and responsive interventions with determinant M&E frameworks and indicators. This involves reducing reliance on out-of-pocket payments and expanding coverage across the three main pillars of UHC: population, services, and cost.

Some key questions to address include:

Which population groups should be covered next?

What are the prioritized primary services to be covered?

Which method of cost coverage is most effective?

A comprehensive understanding of the UHC concept among all relevant stakeholders, especially beneficiary groups, along with inclusive social protection and social assistance schemes, cost coverage regulations, and high-quality, human rights-based healthcare services in a non-discriminatory environment must be taken into account.

Points of consideration include high-risk groups and informal sectors, practical and effective mechanisms for registration into the system, accessible services, benefits provided with required conditions, and affordable cost coverage...

Kreusna

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With a vision of seeing Cambodia achieves quality health services for all people regardless of financial and social status.

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With a vision of seeing Cambodia achieves quality health services for all people regardless of financial and social status.

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There are so many works to deal with in order to attain “quality” health services for all. Many barriers that Cambodia, as a developing country, will encounter ranging from human resources until funding as well as dealing with its current fragile health system itself. However, with the currently adapted sustainable development goals of the Royal Government of Cambodia as a roadmap, Cambodia is absolutely striving for better health services for its people through (1) incorporating more basic services(NCDs) at primary healthcare, (2) social security fund packages, (3) forming quality improvement committees to ensure the progresses made are kept on tracked and any issues solved.

As an emergent leader of Cambodia, I aspire to be part of this journey by (1) sharpening my medical knowledge and leadership competencies, (2) applying what I learned into real practices to make positive changes in the heath systems, (3) working effectively and efficiently, (4) bridging collaborative communities among stakeholders…etc.

There are several changes I hope to lead including (1) more sustainable and inclusive supply chain management that all medicines, consumables and high-tech equipment are available and secured for needs at all levels, (2) effective training materials and continuity to ensure capacities of health professional, (3) having access to timely and quality data for supporting decision making.

Sreyroth

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Personally, I need to better handle uncertainty in both my personal and professional environments. Sometimes things go out of control and are beyond my ability to manage. I need to learn to accept this and let go. However, it’s not easy to let go without trying our best to handle the situation. Learning about the situation and the possibilities that can be managed is a priority and should be done first.

The challenge in handling uncertainty is that we often don't know our own capacity to manage the situation and understand it better. “I have tried to handle it, but often end up with disappointing results”, who know? That’s life.

So, the best thing that we can do is admit it. Trying to let things go and learning from the consequences can be a valuable lesson for the future.

Sophea,

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https://docs.google.com/document/d/177FrR5QFm6RxIj3LEvF78PgaocOuKXNZr-zJuWyncw0/edit?usp=sharing

Vandy Chheang

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2. Journaling Session 2: Adaptivity and Centeredness

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https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Bln5kvEdf1oOyZjAcch2yhxp51DqpuTUjdtaIx_H9eY/edit?usp=sharing

Vandy Chheang, Student Services Officer from University of Puthisastra

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Allowing things to unfold can be ugly, but it is a natural aspect of transformation

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Letting go and embracing uncertainty is hard to achieve because people are wired to be cautious of things they can’t see or aware of. People like to be in control because it gives them a sense of stability. Fear of the unknown. Working in the dark makes people think that they are at a disadvantage. Planning and preparing for the situation beforehand will give them a head start. Thus, for people just going to give a speech without knowing who the audience are, the topic, or the location, they will get lost because they have nothing to anchor to. As much as we like to keep everything predictable, that is no way for development. Human beings are curious creatures. Sometimes letting go and waiting for things to adjust on their own.  Without those uncertainties there will be no curiosity, no creativity, and no opportunity for positive change.

My biggest  challenge is the lack of confidence in handling the situation. I had this horrible habit of playing negative hypothetical scenarios in my head. It is played so often that the world is collapsing around me. Among the transformative competencies, I had “letting go” as something that I am not good at, but learning that I can’t control every aspect of the situation is my key to embrace the unknown.

Naren Chhoum

Nurse

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Think of your loved one and living with the purpose 

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Think of your loved one and living with the purpose 

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Think of my loved one. Every moment of my life I have a duty to do for myself and my loved one. When I face new challenges or uncertain events I often ask myself if I fall down, what will happen to them and if I give up how can I help them to achieve theirs goal, so I need to be flexible to adapt all over unsimilar situations. As we know, easier said than done, however, my loved  one is a thruster to keep me fighting and go through uncertain conditions in the real world.

Each person has their own purpose for living,I also have mine. Living is not easy at all , unalike stages such as happiness,hurt, suffering, but the main point is living with the intention to achieve. Personally, I just wanna see my society become better and the people living with dignity and  prosperity for all.

Finally, because of the reasons above I have to be a flexible person. Meanwhile, I just change the way for some time, but I have never changed the direction or destination.

Veng Kimyou

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I do believe that everyone experiences uncertainty situation just in difference condition.

To me, I get stressed and depressed when I cannot achieve the goal or the task as expected. According to this, I told myself “Just do my best to complete the task; if the output does not completely meet my expectations, then just accept it.” Of course, we always want to get a better results or output but normally no once can get what we want alway.

A lot of things happen in our lives; be happy with what we have done and try our best to achieve the goal. Do not give up easily; if this way is not successful, then we can find other ways to explore. Just keep focusing on our goal with motivation, action, and feeling.

Virak

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Letting go and embracing uncertainty is easy and not a challenge for me

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Letting go and embracing uncertainty is easy and not a challenge for me

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We are usually stressed out if what we expect turn to be opposite in reality. Depression is also high if we dream big but the achievement is small. For me, I never dream big. I don't expect much from what I do. I don't plan to change the world or anyone opinion/attitude in a night. However, I always try my best to do the task I believe good and important at least to satisfy my feeling. When facing the ocean, my goal is not to infill but just change the way where my single stone falls. The strategy to let go and embrace the uncertainty is not to expect much from what we do, but just focus on our goal with our firm values.

Darin

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Flexible and adaptive but focus with strong values

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Flexible and adaptive but focus with strong values

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"Go where the river flows" is Khmer saying, something similar to the known phrase -- "When in Rome do as Romans do". The saying sometimes connotes a negative attitude that asks most of Cambodian people to go with the flow and adapt to what the mass/society is doing, especially in a submissive form to their political leaders. What happen if the river flows us and fall off to a very deep valley? What happen if the society is led by someone whose hidden agenda is to control and exploit the society? How can we adapt to the mass but stay focus on what we think is the right thing we should do?

In this uncertain world, I would not mind adapting to the surrounded environment/people by being a good and active listener/observer as this allows me to understand and clarify different viewpoints that people may have. Then, I can ask question to follow up certain viewpoints that are not clearly articulated. I believe there are no Western or Eastern values, nor is there a distinction between the Asian Way or the Western Way when we adhere to universal values where human dignity, freedom, and prosperity are the main goals.

Being a good listener, we can start to understand and adapt to what most people are believing; being an active listener, in addition, allow us to gauge the conversation and start small action to focus on the universal values that we aim to reach.

Understanding and holding firm to our values (the universal values) provides the centeredness and strong roots that keep us steadfast, no matter how strong the winds we face.

Darin

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My approach to adapting to unexpected changes involves being open-minded, listening carefully, seeking others' opinions, and encouraging those around me to share their perspectives. After getting their perspectives, I make a concerted effort to learn from them, understanding their insights and viewpoints.

Continuous learning through actively seeking information and understanding the situation enables me to make informed decisions and adapt more effectively. Furthermore, remaining open to change and adjusting plans as necessary helps me maintain resilience and adaptability in uncertain times.

Sp.

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I think what our brains fear most is the uncertainty of not knowing, which we perceive as a threat. As humans, we are accustomed to fixed habits and established views from a young age, which provide us with a sense of stability. Therefore, the lack of control and predictability associated with uncertainty is an unfamiliar feeling that we strive to avoid at all costs.

For me, the biggest challenges at the moment are having limited knowledge about occurrences and losing control over situations. I tend to get overwhelmed easily when things start to get out of hand, even if I know how to handle them. Additionally, I have to constantly remind myself that I don’t need to figure everything out all at once when many events occur. Even so, I hope to overcome these challenges someday.

Muy Kunkanitha

Sophomore, ITC

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Leaves and branches may sway with the wind; but the roots remain the center 

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To help me with adaptability and centeredness, I  tried to identify who I am first. Knowing my identity and purpose in life allows me to search for my goals and priorities. In life there are all sorts of distractions; it is important to find who you are because time can fly by quickly and by the time you know it is already too late. Thus, besides practicing centeredness, you must also be adaptable. You cannot control everything and being flexible in those situations allow you to make an informed decision.

In my line of work, establishing a common goal between the provider and receiver is my key to centeredness because both parties understand what we want to achieve in the time we work together. Next , setting priorities, tackling one problem at a time because it will make the problem less overwhelming. In terms of flexibility, I have to make peace with myself that there is always going to be an unknown because as much as we want to take things under control and predict the outcome, we can’t control how others will react to our decision. Being adaptable to me means that I came prepared for other scenarios that could occur. This way I do not have to come with the solution right on the spot. So, in short, find your identity and embrace the unknown.

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“Challenges in letting go and embracing uncertainty…”

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“Challenges in letting go and embracing uncertainty…”

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1. "The fear of the unknown often hinders our ability to embrace uncertainty."

2. "To avoid discomfort, we often cling tightly to our current beliefs."

3. "Our preference for what we already possess can sometimes outweigh potential benefits."

My current challenge is dealing with fixed hypotheses, pre-judgments, preconceptions, and premature conclusions." And "I don't always keep an open mind."

Kreusna, SRHR-PM

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Mr. Sunheng Kaing; Researcher at PIC and Lecturer at UP

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“Self discipline flexibility for self practical flexibility during routine working day without negative impacts to co-workers”

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“Self discipline flexibility for self practical flexibility during routine working day without negative impacts to co-workers”

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When I have doubts or uncertainty things of processing on my work, the first thing I simply do is “requesting help” or “asking on something” about what I am unknown on proceeding work. For example, during I conduct experiments at my work place, I always ask my supervisor for agreement and supportive ideas on procedures that I’m gonna do the task to avoid releasing results in false positive or false negative. This allow me staying on neutral point for being avoid mistakes. Self flexibility is a good manner on to be successful handling your productive work in routine day.

“Stay centered” during you are facing uncertainty is refer to control your emotions, your mood or think positively. I put myself calm, without stress myself, alert, steady, active in term of practice reaction or reflection mood and emotion in the center point to controlling my emotions without impact to my coworkers. So, staying calm kind of self meditation from reflexion to you of your positive respectfulness and through your emotional control for non-interference on your activity in daily work.

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“Embracing Change in a Balanced Way: Flexibility and Calm in Uncertain Times”

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“Embracing Change in a Balanced Way: Flexibility and Calm in Uncertain Times”

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Problems and uncertainty situation will come to us every day; it’s normal and we have to deal with those issues. Dealing with uncertainty requires a balance of adaptability and centeredness. Below are my daily practices with the issues:

Embracing change: Stay open-minded for a new idea and flexible to adjust the plans as needed. View change as an opportunity rather than a threat.

Setting priority task: Clearly define the values and goals. Focus on what is most important to the recent tasks/situations and make decisions.

Self-reflection: I always do self-reflection to get a better understanding of the situation. To recognize what needs to be improved and manage my emotions in order to maintain stable conditions and conform to the team.

Resilience: Build our capacity to recover quickly from setbacks by developing coping strategies to manage stress and bounce back from adversity.

Making decisions with more ideas is always better than just once.

Virak

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I have been working as a lecturer at the University of Puthisastra, which is known as one of the leading universities in health sciences for medical students in Cambodia. For me, working as a lecturer or teacher also means having a role as a leader who works directly with future healthcare service providers. I believe that teachers can have a great impact on students' minds, fostering positive change.

Personally, I have been inspired by many people around me and have learned from their actions. Because of this, I believe that I can be someone who inspires my students and encourage them to make positive changes in the future.

My mission is to encourage future healthcare service providers to get involved in activities that foster positive change, activities they also believe should be done.

Contributing for a better future.

YAR Sophea,

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Whenever the uncertainty expectedly occur while there are so many to-be-done-tasks on the table. I often create the schedule with specific timetables and do the prioritization. Since all is necessary, but just some are urgent. So, i always complete the urgent and necessary tasks first before jump to another stage of task. Sometimes, i found it complicated and hard to adapt since so many expected things also occur at the same time, but i chose to do mediation since it calms my mind down and reset and restart the tasks. Sometimes, when the negativity occurred, i chosen to journal down my negative thoughts and also journal about the small accomplishments for a small self-celebration as well. I termed it that mastering the capability since i could understand my own capability to complete the tasks, when to pause, when to restart, and when to act against the negativity. I found it difficult to practice, but it helpful since i am still centered at the end and not live in chaos. Mastering my tasks by breaking them down into manageable pieces and start doing no matter the results what.

Vuthy, a teacher trainee of History.

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Thriving in Uncertainty: Adaptability, Task Management, and Self-Reflection

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Thriving in Uncertainty: Adaptability, Task Management, and Self-Reflection

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When facing uncertainty, these are practices that have proven useful for me:

-Adaptability: Opening my mind to new ideas and changes, and being ready to adjust my plans and expectations as situations evolve.

-Progressive Task Management: Breaking down tasks into manageable steps and setting realistic goals. This approach not only helps me maintain motivation but also reduces feelings of being overwhelmed, allowing me to stay focused and achieve a sense of accomplishment.

-Self-reflection: It helps me understand my thoughts and emotion deeply, identify strengths, and areas for growth. Moreover, it reminds me of why I started what I am doing right now and how far I’ve come, providing motivation and clarity in challenging times.

Muy Kunkanitha

Sophomore, ITC

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“Youth for Light and Smile”, a youth-led project aiming to promote or enhance a betterment and quality of life in society. 

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My vision for Cambodia's healthcare system is to provide accessible mental health care for everyone. Through my observations of my surroundings, I have found that many people around me, including my family and friends, struggle quietly due to societal stigma and lack of resources and it hurts me greatly. As a way to address that issues, I want to help create an environment where seeking mental health support is normalized and encouraged.

As a double degree sophomore struggling with work-life balance, I understand the pressures that affect mental well-being. I plan to contribute by raising awareness, advocating for better mental health policies, supporting peer networks, and creating a digital mental health platform. By sharing my experiences and promoting open discussions, I aim to reduce stigma and encourage more people to seek the help they need.

Muy Kunkanitha

Sophomore, Institute of Technology of Cambodia (ITC)

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Goal Setting and Prioritization: Clearly defining priorities and setting achievable goals provides a sense of direction. Breaking down larger tasks into smaller steps makes progress more manageable.

Flexible Thinking: Embracing adaptability and open-mindedness helps navigate uncertainty. Being willing to adjust plans, consider alternative perspectives, and learn from setbacks promotes resilience.

Kreusna, SRHR PM

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Mr. Sunheng Kaing; Researcher at PIC and Lecturer at UP

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“Generate new generations to get open-mindset beyond fixed mindset”

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“Generate new generations to get open-mindset beyond fixed mindset”

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The future vision of health care system in Cambodia need to be reformed as a standard integration system covering the country. Even-though, healthcare worker themself is a key individual role to navigate the practical healthcare promotion system from the ministry level to the community level, but also healthcare system in Cambodia is being needed to be broad transformation and adaptive change through other multiple sectors related health such as health consulting, medical device, health tech, health financing, health insurance and pharma&biotech. Priority enhancing healthcare providers to be aware of health innovation research in term of medical technical education maintaining strong capability and sustainability. And strong collaborative exchange programs with keep sharing updating medical education between national hospitals and also international research centre.

As my career is a biological researcher which related to one-health intervention approach in tropical diseases based on collaboration research with multiple organizations for conducting experimental research of infectious diseases aiming prevention and control emerging diseases, I’m able to take part as a contributor in medical sciences and research to the next generative healthcare providers in Cambodia. In above meaning of that, I also will be able to share all my exposed experiences in previous learning both theoretical and practical learning experiences from neighboring country and from my workplace. Moreover, myself optimistic vision is the contribution of theoretical medical sciences engaging with research science focusing mainly to the medical academic students for being adaptive learning from new scientific developments.

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Strengthening the health education in education system, especially Mental Health Awareness for Upper Secondary School Students. 

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Strengthening the health education in education system, especially Mental Health Awareness for Upper Secondary School Students. 

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Based on the SDGs Framework, Education plays a very crucial part of international and National development, and without mental health education for students, the educational development and improvement might hinder its progress. I see the mental health issues are lingering on enormous students’ lives across the country. Students lack of self-awareness and ability to pull them together when they faced shucks or their expectations don’t meet potentially. And i am aware of that Mental Health Education is not something new since the existing curriculum already included the mental health awareness in some subjects, but the ways that teachers interpret might be less than every lesson designed. The lack of teachers’ intervention and engagement in the consulting skill might hinder their professional and code of conducts and leave many students that they want consultation go upset. I could see that one of causation of dropping out from schools related to mental health issues. In my role, i could envision my contribution in raising awareness of mental health education by playing and positioning myself as a transformative teacher-educator who don’t just teach, but be the active listener to students and hold the consultation when they need.

Vuthy, a teacher trainee of History

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Promoting primary healthcare and reach UHC (universal health coverage) 

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Promoting primary healthcare and reach UHC (universal health coverage) 

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When I was an intern in a hospital while I was a student in nursing school. I met new challenges for both health providers( supply side) and patience ( demand side ). There were not enough medical staff compared to the population and there were lack of medical equipment. Meanwhile, the poor population could not afford it , and it was difficult to access.

I want to see Cambodia achieve UHC (universal health coverage) and promote primary health care with strong capacity  . Meanwhile, I hope our education system will improve to meet the needs of human resources for the health sector. Furthermore,it is really necessary to see stakeholders be prepared to tackle health issues such as disease outbreak, pandemic and other health crisis.

Working as a nurse in a health center I can contribute to improve the health system by engaging with the community, civil society and other partners to provide high quality primary healthcare, education and health checks up( TB, NCD, Malaria…).

VENG KIMYOU

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To understand your why, one must find their roots...

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Through my years of working with children with disabilities, I had one poignant experience with a child who has a severe case of malnutrition. It was the mother's courage and commitment to travel with the child over hundreds of kilometers across the provinces to get treatment in Siem Reap that saved her child’s life. Although the country has made significant progress in reducing malnutrition cases over the past decades, it is a story like this that shows that access to primary healthcare is crucial to the survival of Cambodian children.

In alignment with the national SDG of eliminating all forms of malnutrition by 2030, children in the rural area and those living with disabilities are a priority. Due to  the lack of knowledge and ineffectiveness to identify vulnerable groups prevent them from benefiting from national social protection programs which result in a generation of children suffering from poor health. Therefore, policy on nutrition should be amended and implemented effectively especially at the community level.

There is so much to be done to end hunger in my country, but it does not mean I as an individual cannot contribute to this change. I envision every child has access to three nutritious meals each day. As a community nurse, it is within my power to do health education to parents about the importance of having a balanced diet. In the meantime, I will do policy advocacy to ensure that the Cambodian 2nd SDG is met.

Naren Chhoum

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Improving overall health outcomes through preventive care knowledge: 

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Improving overall health outcomes through preventive care knowledge: 

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My vision for the future of the healthcare system in Cambodia is that all citizens will have clear knowledge about preventive care. Currently, most people start to take care of their health only after they are diagnosed with a disease due to a lack of knowledge about preventive care. Preventing diseases before they happen is one of the most important things we can do to protect our health.

To enhance the health and well-being of the Cambodian population, we must prioritize preventive care and education. This approach can significantly reduce the incidence of preventable diseases and improve overall health outcomes. Focusing on preventive care knowledge in Cambodia has the potential to significantly improve health outcomes and reduce the burden of disease. As a science lecturer, I am committed to inspiring and educating the next generation of health professionals. I aim to equip them not only with preventive care knowledge but also with the promotion of healthy lifestyles. I believe that my role extends beyond the classroom, and I will strive to inspire positive change for a healthier Cambodia.

By investing in education, strengthening primary healthcare, and promoting healthy lifestyles to my students, Cambodia can build a healthier future for its population.

Romnea, <3

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Vision for future healthcare and how we can contribute

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Vision for future healthcare and how we can contribute

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It'd be good to see an integrated healthcare system with more qualified staff and better-equipped healthcare centers to deliver basic and necessary services (ambulance, preventive care, education...) to all citizens at the local level. What we can do is to empower the demand side (citizens) to be more active in healthcare engagement. As researchers, we can also bring the citizens' voices to policymakers through public forums/publications, making sure that the supply side (government) delivers what is currently needed in the community. As educators, we can also inculcate the belief that having good health is a right to which each citizen is entitled. Being a nurse or doctor is a compassionate professional that many lives depend on.

Darin

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This is my vision for the health care system in my country. As academic staff and also ICT staff, I can contribute to this vision by creating and spreading educational content on mental health topics to increase awareness and understanding. Develop a digital platform about mental support that everyone can access and ask about or tell about their problems. And I can also see myself contributing to this vision by creating a video and sharing it on social media about mental health.

Mantha

ICT Administrative officer, UP

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Education for Health Science Students: Improving our future healthcare professionals

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Education for Health Science Students: Improving our future healthcare professionals

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As an academic staff member and researcher dedicated to the health sector, I draw inspiration from influential leaders who have made significant contributions to public health, medical research, and education in developing nations around the world. Look at their healthcare system, quality, innovation, etc. in health education, which inspires my own leadership journey. As Cambodian healthcare system is still in limited condition and will need more future improvement for better quality for its people.

My aspiration to be a leader in the health sector stems from a deep-seated passion for improving healthcare system in Cambodia. Of course, there are so many factors that will need to be addressed the challenges that we faced but due to my current role as an academic and researcher I would like to bring two main factors to share in here which focus on healthcare education and health research. In order to improve healthcare system in Cambodia like other countries first we have to consider in improving for quality of future healthcare staff at their higher education level and second, inspiring them on conducting research to improve their skill as a healthcare staff. Witnessing the transformative power of evidence-based research and innovative healthcare solutions motivates me to contribute to this dynamic field. The ongoing challenges posed by emerging diseases, healthcare inequities, and the need for sustainable health systems fuel my determination to drive positive change through research and education.

In my role, I hope to make change by fostering interdisciplinary collaborations that bridge gaps between education, research, and policy-making. By training our future healthcare professionals and researchers, I aim to cultivate a new generation of leaders equipped with the knowledge and skills to tackle pressing health issues. “If we want to change people's mindset, then change the curriculum.”

Virak

FY Program Coordinator, UP

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International Day of Families 15 May 2024 Campaign

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Vision and Strategies for Enhancing Social Protection Access Among Key Populations in Cambodia 

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Vision and Strategies for Enhancing Social Protection Access Among Key Populations in Cambodia 

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In alignment with the SDGs goal of Leaving No One Behind, “My vision is to expand an inclusive social protection system that encompasses the three main pillars: healthcare services, population coverage, and cost coverage, all while fostering innovation and collaboration.”

At the CSO level, "We have implemented flexible and adaptive strategies that are crucial to facilitate existing guidelines and policies. This includes outreach, virtual awareness-raising sessions, providing accurate and timely information, and possible facilitations to key populations. These efforts contribute to strengthening and improving the registration, accessibility, and utilization of the Health Equity Fund and ID-Poor cards among vulnerable groups and key populations at healthcare facilities, enhancing their access to healthcare services and social benefits.

Kreusna

Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Project Manager

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What practices can enhance your ability to lead with care and feeling?  

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What practices can enhance your ability to lead with care and feeling?  

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What strategies should health stakeholders put into practice to create an inclusive, inviting and open-to-feedback work environment? 

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What strategies should health stakeholders put into practice to create an inclusive, inviting and open-to-feedback work environment? 

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What innovative solutions or ideas have emerged in the Cambodian health system that you would like your peers to know more about? (Share a link/news/multimedia resources)

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What innovative solutions or ideas have emerged in the Cambodian health system that you would like your peers to know more about? (Share a link/news/multimedia resources)

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What health system actors’ perspectives should be considered to strengthen the health sector in Cambodia?

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What health system actors’ perspectives should be considered to strengthen the health sector in Cambodia?

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Why is letting go and embracing uncertainty so hard to achieve? What is the biggest challenge for you? 

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Why is letting go and embracing uncertainty so hard to achieve? What is the biggest challenge for you? 

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What practices help you to be flexible and stay centered when facing uncertainty? 

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What practices help you to be flexible and stay centered when facing uncertainty? 

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What is your vision for the future of the health care system in your country and how do you see yourself contributing to this vision through your work? 

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What is your vision for the future of the health care system in your country and how do you see yourself contributing to this vision through your work? 