Traditional Chinese medicine assistance team provides free services in Cambodia

Employees of Cambodian PPSHV Expressway Co., Ltd., operator of the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville (PPSHV) Expressway in Cambodia, consult a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) doctor during a free clinic activity held by a TCM assistance team China sent to Cambodia. (Photo courtesy of the TCM assistance team)

"I've suffered from stiffness and pain in the neck for several years, and the doctor said it will take a while to cure me. But I already feel a lot better now. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is really amazing," Chun Huy, a 28-year-old Cambodian woman said happily after receiving acupuncture treatment at a free clinic activity of a Chinese medical assistance team recently.

"I will receive TCM treatment again when there's another chance," said Chun Huy, who works at the monitoring center of the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville (PPSHV) Expressway, which connects Cambodia's capital city Phnom Penh and the country's largest deep sea port, the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port.

The Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway is Cambodia's first expressway. It is one of the Chinese-invested mega-projects implemented in Cambodia under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The expressway is operated by Cambodian PPSHV Expressway Co., Ltd.

Eighty-eight percent of the staff members of the company are Cambodian. They have faced a high incidence of neck, shoulder, waist, and leg pain, and gastrointestinal diseases due to high temperatures and humidity in their working environment.

In an effort to help alleviate the situation, an eight-member TCM assistance team China sent to Cambodia paid a visit to the company to offer free medical services. A total of 158 employees received TCM diagnosis and treatment services from TCM experts.

Consisting of eight outstanding clinicians from the Guang'anmen Hospital under the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, the TCM assistance team is the second medical expert team China has sent to Cambodia since the two countries signed an agreement on China sending TCM teams to Cambodia to support the latter's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The team arrived in Phnom Penh on July 4. It will work in Cambodia for a year.