"Ministry of Labour calls for the establishment of infirmaries in enterprises", 4 December 2019

Minister of Labour and Vocational Training Ith Sam Heng called on all owners of garment factories, enterprises and establishments to set up infirmaries in their workplaces under the prescribed guidelines. Fines would be imposed on employers who violate the order…

“Employers should establish infirmaries properly and correctly according to procedures and provisions prescribed in the Labour Law and relevant standard letters, especially joint prakas No 330 and 13.

“They need to ensure that infirmaries [in the] enterprises and establishments operate well with enough equipment, medicine and nurses working at regular hours,” Sam Heng said.

He said establishing the infirmaries would serve to guarantee the safety and health of all employees, and boost productivity, thus benefiting employers as well.

When employees have access to proper and timely healthcare, the labour force would be stronger and production plans would not be hampered, the minister said.

A report by the ministry’s Occupational Health and Safety Department revealed that …, enterprises and establishments had set up 1,157 infirmaries, bandage rooms and emergency rooms. Of these, only around 70 met the ministry’s prescribed standards.

The department’s director Leng Tong said that legally, enterprises and establishments with 50 employees or more should have infirmaries, while enterprises with 20 to 49 workers should have bandage rooms…

UNFPA assistant representative Tum May said relevant parties, especially the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training, had been working together for three years to ensure the establishment of enterprise infirmaries…