Border quarantine, controlling epidemics and humanitarian medical care were the major topics at a meeting of senior health officials from Vietnam and Cambodia in Phnom Penh in early August.

The Vietnamese delegation was led by Health Minister Nguyen Quoc Trieu, who began a week-long visit to Cambodia on August 1.

The meeting shared the view that major progress has been made in carrying out the border quarantine agreement signed by the two countries on March 6, 2006, which has helped to control epidemics in the border region.

The host expressed thanks to Vietnam ’s health centres, especially those along the border, for providing medical checks and treatment to Cambodians, including senior Cambodian officials.

They also praised the regular trips made by Vietnamese health workers to a number of Cambodian provinces and cities to provide free medical checks and treatment for poor people.

Trieu pledged to continue assisting Cambodia in healthcare, especially in charity work, and send more experienced medical doctors to help.

Both parties showed their determination to speed up the construction of the Cho Ray-Phnom Penh hospital, which broke ground in the Cambodian capital in May.

They also mulled over an option to start a joint venture ophthalmology hospital in Phnom Penh and steps to strengthen joint epidemic control.

Also high on the agenda were measures to enhance cooperation in the fight against fake cosmetics being trafficked across the border.

The talks also called for a regular exchange of experiences in supervising the quality of drugs, controlling the circulation of fake medicines or poor quality medicines that endanger human health.

During his stay, Trieu was received by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. The Vietnamese Health Minister and his delegation also visited the Cambodian Royal Military Hospital , the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital and the Cambodian Medical College , where they discussed their experiences in public healthcare.

The Medical and Pharmaceutical University and the Odonto-Maxillo Facial Surgery Hospital from Ho Chi Minh City also took the opportunity to sign a memorandum of understanding on professional cooperation with the Cambodian Medical College and the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital./.