Minister of Health Mam Bun Heng told provincial health departments to instruct all public and private health facilities to be prepared for an uptick in patients who need care, treatment and emergency intervention during the Khmer New Year holiday, particularly for cases of food and alcohol poisoning.
The letter signed by Bun Heng on April 8 stated that this measure is to strengthen the provision of health services, health education, hygiene and traffic safety for people on the occasion of the traditional Khmer New Year.
The letter reminded provincial administrations that many people will visit their hometowns and many entertainment venues and districts.
“Therefore, in order to be prepared in advance, please inform to the provincial health department to educate local public and private health facilities, especially hospitals, to be prepared,” the letter stated.
Because of the hot weather, Bun Heng advised people who are caring for their children and older people to pay attention to how much time they spend in the sun and make sure they drink plenty of water.
He also advised all citizens to obey traffic laws and increase their caution on the roads when travelling to avoid any accidents.
Kros Sarath, director of the Siem Reap Provincial Health Department, said that the department received the letter and sent it on to the related working groups.
“For Angkor Sangkran, we have prepared 380 health officials and 110 volunteers, which is a total of 490 people,” he said.
Sarath continued that due to the past experiences with Covid-19, most people are well aware of how to protect themselves and more conscientious about public hygiene.
Prime Minister Hun Sen spoke at a meeting of the Council of Ministers on April 7 and called on people to participate in preventing and reducing the rate of deaths and injuries by traffic accidents nationwide.
The prime minister also urged the relevant ministries, institutions and authorities to widely promote and disseminate education content related to traffic safety.
