 |
| Health Minister Mam Bun Heng. KT/Chor Sokunthea |
Khuon Narim / Khmer Times, May 16, 2019
The Ministry of Health is set to recruit 1,300 civil servants, giving priority to women and people with disabilities in its recruitment process.
“Qualified women and people with disabilities are given priority in the examinations,” Health Minister Mam Bun Heng said in a statement on Friday.
The ministry urged students and interested candidates to register for examinations before the July 5 deadline.
. .
Mr Bun Heng said the government has policies dedicated to encourage the recruitment of women and people with disabilities, which dictate that each should make up at least two percent of the workforce.
When asked for the reason behind the upcoming recruitment, Mr Bun Heng said the ministry wants to expand its services.
“We want to expand our health services and replace officials who are set to retire,” Mr Bun Heng said.
A recent report by the Social Affairs Ministry found that ministries and state institutions employ 2,839 persons with disabilities, including 1,478 who are severely disabled. In the private sector, 77 companies have hired a total of 3,055 disabled people, the report said.
To encourage public and private sectors to recruit people with disabilities to form at least two percent of their workforce, the government created the Law on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Person with Disabilities.
. .
Ros Sopheap, executive director of Gender and Development for Cambodia, welcomed and supported the Health Ministry’s move in encouraging women and people with disabilities to work in government.
“I am happy to hear that the Health Ministry is encouraging women and people with disabilities to apply,” Ms Sopheap said.
She said women and people with disabilities can also have the right education background and technical skills to work in the ministry.
Ms Sopheap added that she wanted to see more women in decision-making positions in the government.
“We have not seen many women in decision-making positions in the government, most of them are men,” she said.
. .
In April this year, Women’s Affairs Minister Ing Kantha Phavi said that women are still facing social and economic challenges despite efforts done to empower them.
Ms Kantha Phavi said the ministry has identified challenges facing women, which included limited access for women and girls to entrepreneurship, as well as limited technological training.
Ms Kantha Phavi said related ministries and partners should jointly address the challenges.
Citing the World Economic Forum’s report, Ms Kantha Phavi said Cambodia has improved its status in the field of gender equality, ranking 93 among 149 countries last year compared to 112 out of 114 countries in 2016.