College Students Studying Health Science in Sangkum Reastr Niyum Regime (1955 - 1970)
Being the most ancient Kingdom in mainland South East Asia,
health science has been playing significant role in daily life of people in
Cambodia. There are many ways of treatment throughout the kingdom. In the early
stage of health science’s evolvement, ancient doctors used the natural drugs
taken from forest or green plants around their living place. It was true that
in that generation, each family also had their own ways of treatment
transferred from their ancestors while only the king had royal excellent
skilled doctor group. In Angkor Era, health science for residents in the
kingdom was improved under the lead of King Jayavarman VII; there were many
ancient hospitals built along the national road linking from Angkor Capital to
other main cities of Angkor Empire. Many kinds of natural drugs were stored in
each ancient hospital and used for public treatment. Later, the health science
was almost lost through internal and external wars in this kingdom. Until
Sangkum Reastr Niyum Regime (1955-1970), the health science full of modern
equipments & techniques getting from France grew quickly again and many
famous specialized doctors and nurses serving local citizens confidently; all
residents in that regime showed their trust on local health service. However, the
later three decades from early 1970s to end 1990s conflicts and wars in
Cambodia, both human resources and equipments in health science were completely
lost in the war and everything for health science has been being slowly recovered
until today. Poor service in some public hospital was known to local people; most
of the rich families in the Kingdom went to nearby countries for their
treatments while poor people were patient to use health service in public
hospital mostly less standard service. Today, many private hospitals have been
opening and operating day to day to satisfy the needs in health science in
stead of the public hospital. Lacking of professional skills is not really
applied to all of human resources in health science, but the habits after war
is teaching new human resource to adapt the bad habits from previous
generation. In order to recover quickly, there should be more actions to
eliminate those habits and apply the good standard as the human resources in
Sangkum Reastr Niyum Regime. Research should be done to note all the good
practices of Khmer human resource in health science from 1953 to 1975 in order
to release the effective and efficient ways to serve local people confidently
full of trust from them. For example, money was not the main thing in mind of
all doctors while life was the most special thing in mindset of human resources
in Sangkum Reastr Niyum Regime as well as Lon Nol Regime. “Satisfy the
maximum needs of doctors and nurses first in order to bring the best health
service to all local people!” “More standard service and code of conduct must
be in force for all human resources in health science as the preparation for better
future health service in Cambodia!” “Best! Special! Polite!”
