When it comes to medical care in Cambodia, things aren’t perfect but they are getting better.

One good reason to safeguard your health is that the medical care available in Cambodia leaves a lot to be desired. But medical care in Phnom Penh is getting better with each passing day — less so outside of the capital. Still, for serious conditions (and many not-so-serious ones) expats who can afford it generally choose to seek medical care in Bangkok or Singapore.

Most expats would agree that Khmer doctors who have been trained in Cambodia offer an unreliable standard of care. Many are practicing without any sort of certification that would be recognized outside of the country and do not offer services that would meet international standards.

However, there are also many Khmer doctors who have been trained abroad, and they offer services for far less than those charged by most foreign doctors working in Cambodia. Expats give mixed reports of these doctors — some offer very good medical care for a song, others…well, do not.

While Cambodia has a number of reputable hospitals and doctors, it’s nevertheless best to make sure you have travel insurance or health insurance that will cover you for medical evacuation in case you need to leave the country for care.

This is an excerpt from Move to Cambodia: A guide to living and working in the Kingdom of Wonder. To learn more about 100+ topics that pertain to Cambodia expats, please consider buying the book.