University of Health Sciences (UHS) Cambodia

Overview  The University of Health Sciences (UHS) is the only state-owned university of health sciences in Cambodia. It is affiliated with both the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport. It currently comprises the Faculty of Medicine (FoM), the Faculty of Pharmacy (FoP), the Faculty of Dentistry (FoD), and the Technical School for Medical Care (TSMC, School for Nursing, Midwifery, Physiotherapy, Laboratory technicians, and Imaging assistants), Department of Foundation Year and Department of Public Health. With more than 7,500 students enrolled every year, the UHS is one of the country leading higher education institutions.   Environment  The UHS is operating within the global environment of higher education, characterized by internationalization, networking, competition and alliances.  Regionally, Cambodia’s membership in ASEAN is a new paradigm, reshaping the horizon not only for higher education in general, but also for quality healthcare delivery in particular. Being a member of ASEAN has provided Cambodia with opportunities for change: curricula review, assessment standardization, mobility of students and teachers, just to name a few. On the other hand, it has urged some systemic reforms, still to be debated and adopted at the national level. Meanwhile, it has highlighted the gap that exists in terms of the number and quality of human resources in higher education.  The national environment in higher education is a changing landscape that, over the past 10 years, has been characterized by a growing number of public and private higher educational institutions, notably in the field of health sciences. Also, the roles and scope of the Ministry of Education regarding curricula and diplomas are currently being redefined, and there is an emergent awareness of the need for stronger assessment through an independent accreditation system. In health sciences, this has been translated into a new national exit examination.   UHS 2014-2018 Strategic Plan  According to the Rectangular Strategy of the Royal Government of Cambodia, Phase III 2013, the Royal Government of the Fifth Legislature aims to ensure an average annual economic growth of 7% and create more jobs for people, especially youth, by focusing on capacity building and human resources development through: (1) training of skilled and productive labor to meet market demand and increase value added; (2) developing regulatory frameworks, and building educational and vocational training institutions to respond to the foregoing priority; (3) encouraging private sector participation; and (4) strengthening the quality of education and promoting scientific research, technology development and innovation. In order to contribute to phase III of the Royal Government of Cambodia’s Rectangular Strategy, the University of Health Sciences engages faculty and staff at all levels in the planning process. In 2014, the UHS launched its 2014-2018 Strategic Plan, setting its five-year vision, missions and guiding principles.