System overview
Cambodia's public health system is rebuilding from a low base, with referral hospitals in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Battambang and a network of provincial and district facilities. Capability is limited and quality is uneven. WHO, CDC and the UK FCDO all flag medical care in Cambodia as significantly below Western standards; for any serious presentation the realistic pathway is stabilisation locally followed by medevac to Bangkok or Ho Chi Minh City [1,2,3]. No hospital in Cambodia currently holds full JCI accreditation. Western relocators should plan accordingly: routine care can be managed in Phnom Penh, but complex cardiac, oncology, neuro and major surgery generally need to happen across the border.
Hospitals to know
Phnom Penh
- Royal Phnom Penh Hospital. Managed and operated by Thailand's Bangkok Dusit Medical Services (BDMS), the same group as Bangkok Hospital. The most capable private facility in Cambodia for a Western patient, with a 24/7 emergency and trauma centre (Royal Emergency Services) and air-evacuation links to Bangkok when needed [4].
- Khema International Polyclinic (Khema). Private clinic and outpatient hospital popular with expats for primary care, maternity and minor procedures [5].
- International SOS Phnom Penh Clinic. Member-access outpatient clinic with on-call evacuation coordination, widely used by NGO and corporate expats [6].
Siem Reap
- Royal Angkor International Hospital. Sister facility to Royal Phnom Penh Hospital, BDMS-affiliated, the best Western-oriented option in north-western Cambodia.
The UK FCDO maintains a curated list of English-speaking doctors and clinics in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville [7].
Routine care and chronic disease management
Outpatient consultations are available within days at Royal Phnom Penh, Khema and International SOS. For 60+ chronic conditions:
- You can source common first-line antihypertensives (amlodipine, telmisartan, losartan, perindopril), statins (atorvastatin, simvastatin), metformin, gliclazide and basal insulins in Phnom Penh, primarily as Indian or Thai generics [4].
- Pharmacies stock newer agents (SGLT2 inhibitors, GLP-1 agonists, modern DOACs) inconsistently. Many residents source these from Bangkok every three to six months.
- Bring at least 90 days of medication on arrival, plus a written summary, recent labs and copies of imaging.
- For specialist follow-up (cardiology, oncology, rheumatology) plan regular trips to Bangkok or Ho Chi Minh City.
Pharmacy and personal medication
Pharmacies are widespread in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, but the market includes substandard and counterfeit medicines, particularly outside the main chains. Stick to reputable pharmacies attached to the hospitals listed above. Controlled substances (benzodiazepines, opioids, stimulants) are formally restricted and personal-import limits are unclear in practice; carry original prescriptions and a doctor's letter, declare on entry if asked, and bring only a reasonable personal supply [8,3].
Vaccinations
CDC recommends long-term residents in Cambodia be current on routine vaccines plus hepatitis A, hepatitis B and typhoid. Get the Japanese encephalitis vaccination for long stays. Strongly consider rabies pre-exposure vaccination given the very large stray dog population and over 200,000 dog bites reported annually [2,9]. You need a yellow fever certificate only if arriving from a transmission country.
Endemic infectious risks
- Dengue is endemic throughout Cambodia, with large epidemics every few years and a peak during the rainy season [2].
- Malaria risk exists in rural and forested areas. There is no malaria transmission in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap (town) or Sihanoukville (town); consider chemoprophylaxis when travelling to forested border areas, particularly along the Thai border, where multidrug resistance is documented [2].
- Rabies is endemic; assume any street dog is unvaccinated. Post-exposure prophylaxis with vaccine and rabies immunoglobulin should be obtained at Royal Phnom Penh Hospital, which is the most reliable source in the country [9,4].
- Tuberculosis is at higher background rates than in Europe.
Water and food
Tap water in Cambodia is not safe to drink. Use bottled or properly filtered water and avoid ice except in chain hotels and reputable restaurants [2,3]. Foodborne illness is common; choose busy, reputable establishments.
Air quality
Phnom Penh has moderate baseline air quality, worsened during the November to March dry season by traffic and regional biomass burning. Sub-WHO-guideline days are common during this period [1]. Air quality across the country can be poor during the dry season; HEPA filtration at home is sensible for anyone with cardiac or respiratory disease.
Insurance
Cambodia has no functioning national health insurance for foreign residents. The two practical options are:
- Domestic Cambodian private insurance (Forte, Infinity, Sovannaphum, Asia Insurance Cambodia) for local care, usually with low annual caps and reasonable premiums.
- International private health insurance with strong emergency evacuation cover. Expats in Cambodia commonly use insurers such as Cigna Global, AXA Global Healthcare, Allianz Care, William Russell, Aetna International and IMG. For someone 60+ in Cambodia, generous evacuation cover (to Bangkok, Singapore or home) is the single most important benefit to confirm before signing.
Emergencies
Cambodia's main emergency numbers are 119 for ambulance, 117 for police and 118 for fire. In practice, public ambulance response in Phnom Penh is unreliable and most expats call Royal Phnom Penh Hospital's emergency line directly, or use the on-call clinician at International SOS [4,6]. For any major event, the working assumption is stabilise locally and medevac to Bangkok (around 70 minutes by air); confirm before you need it that your insurer will authorise this.
This page is not medical advice. Consult a qualified clinician.