City Cancer Challenge
City project

Paeditric Oncology

Strengthening Referral Pathways for Paediatric Oncology Care in Phnom Penh
City
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Project lead
Phauk Chinith
Areas of action
Implementation
Cycle I

The challenge

  • Childhood cancer outcomes in Cambodia remain poor due to delayed diagnosis, fragmented care pathways, and limited access to specialised services.
  • Paediatric oncology services are concentrated in a small number of hospitals, with weak referral linkages across levels of care.
  • Limited diagnostic capacity, high out-of-pocket costs, and shortages of trained paediatric oncology professionals constrain timely and effective treatment.
  • Low awareness of childhood cancer warning signs among healthcare providers and the public contributes to late presentation.
  • Standardised referral mechanisms and patient tracking are not yet fully in place, limiting continuity of care for children with suspected or confirmed cancer.
  • Limited availability of paediatric cancer registry systems hinders service planning and quality improvement.

The goal

  • To strengthen referral linkages across levels of the health system and ensure continuity of care for childhood cancer in the city. 

The How

  • Mapping current paediatric cancer patient pathways to identify gaps, delays, and bottlenecks across levels of care.
  • Designing and implementing standardised referral pathways, mechanisms, and tools for children with suspected or confirmed cancer.
  • Supporting capacity building for healthcare providers on the recognition of early warning signs and the use of referral mechanisms.
  • Improving coordination between primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare facilities to enable timely diagnosis and treatment.
  • Aligning referral system strengthening with national priorities outlined in Cambodia’s National Cancer Control Plan.

Outputs

  • Mapping and situation analysis of current paediatric cancer patient pathways. 
  • Design and implementation of referral mechanisms and tools across levels of care, including capacity development for healthcare providers.

Team

Project Lead
Phauk Chinith, Pediatric Oncologist, Head of Oncology Department, National Pediatric Hospital.
Project Team
Phauk Chinith, Pediatric Oncologist, Head of Oncology Department, National Pediatric Hospital
Eang Kim Ean, Deputy Director of National Pediatric Hospital
Neang Sereyvoleak, Pediatrician National Pediatric Hospital
Tek Lyvannara, Deputy Director of Kantha Bopha Hospital
Ratha Mlis, Pediatric Oncologist, Deputy Head of National Cancer Center, Calmette Hospital
Hor Bisipan, Medical Doctor, Japan Hearth Asia Children's Medical Center
Chin Roza, Onco-hematologist, Deputy Head of Oncology Department, Khmer-Sovieth Friendship Hospital
Maiko Kojiro, Director of Japan Heart Asia Children's Medical Center
Sovath Sovannara, Pediatric Oncologist, Head of Oncology Department, Kantha Bopha Hospital
Heang Ratanak , Pediatric Oncologist, Calmette Hospital
Mariko Kakazu, Pediatric Oncologist, Japan Heart Asia Children's Medical Center

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