Dr. Touch Sok contributing to Cambodia’s COVID-19 response

Dr. Touch SOK

Consultant, Asian Development Bank (ADB)

Course: Master of Public Health

University: University of New South Wales

Graduation: 1998

Dr. Touch Sok attained a Master of Public Health in 1998 through an Australian Government scholarship at the University of New South Wales. The skills and knowledge from his Master and his extensive professional experience in the Ministry of Health (MoH), including 14 years as the Director of the Communicable Disease Control Department, have been in great demand as Cambodia embarked on the task of managing the impact of COVID-19.

As a World Bank consultant for the Health Security Financial Assessment Dr Sok has contributed to a range of operational activities in support of the Bank’s USD 20M fund to assist the Royal Government of Cambodia to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Sok consults with key MoH departments on surveillance and rapid response to the pandemic to identify and locate essential medical and laboratory equipment for isolation rooms at national and provincial hospitals. In addition, he is working to strengthen Emergency Operation Centers at national and provincial level and supporting the expanding role of the National Institute of Public Health in the crucial task of laboratory testing.

As a former President and a long-standing member of the Australian Alumni Association of Cambodia, Dr. Sok uses professional contacts and colleagues from Cambodia, Australia and further afield as a support network in the ongoing battle against COVID-19.