The hospital, the first health cooperation project between Vietnam and Cambodia, got off the ground in May 2010 at an initial cost of US$40 million. It has 200 beds in the first phase, and will have 300 more in the second phase.

The facility, equipped with modern technology, provides a full range of specialties, from surgery to paediatrics, obstetrics, emergencies, image diagnostics, and laboratory.

It will help reduce an overload at Phnom Penh-based hospitals and meet local demands for medical check-ups and treatment.

At the inauguration ceremony, PM Dung noted economic and investment ties between Vietnam and Cambodia have developed rapidly in recent times. Many Vietnamese-invested projects in Cambodia have been put into operation, spurring local socio-economic development and improving people’s living conditions.

He expressed his belief Vietnamese localities and businesses will invest in more healthcare projects in Cambodia, to address local people’s needs.

For his part, PM Hun Sen said the hospital is an exemplary role model for healthcare cooperation between Cambodia and Vietnam. He said he hopes the hospital will create an ideal environment for Cambodia and Vietnamese doctors to share experience and transfer technology. 

PM Dung arrived in Phnom Penh on January 12 for a three-day visit to Cambodia at the invitation of PM Hun Sen.