I had been seeing a doctor at the local health centre for some time. After a while, the medicines no longer worked and a doctor advised me to see a gynaecologist. I had tumours and was very unwell. I was in constant pain. If I hadn’t had access to a local health centre at the start of my illness, I would have died as I wouldn’t have been diagnosed. The tumours would’ve developed into cancer.

My name is Sok Voeun. I have 2 sons. My youngest is still at school. I work as a team leader at a garment factory near Phnom Penh. After my illness, I had to take a 6-month break from work. This was a stressful time because I had nothing to do, I was sick, I had no money. I had to pay the rent. This was a difficult period for me.

After my surgery, I required medical care every 3 to 5 days. The hospital is a long way from my house, so I chose to visit my local health centre instead to clean my wound and get medicines. Having a health centre so close to my house is convenient. I can go there any time that I feel ill. During my recovery, I would go there with my younger sister or on a motorbike taxi. It would have been difficult for me to travel so far to the hospital while recovering from my illness.

When I visited the health centre, there was a doctor to fill out the forms for me to use my National Social Security Fund (NSSF) card. The NSSF card was great for me because I couldn’t afford to cover my medical expenses. I’m happy with the support I received. The nurse saw me and gave me good advice. They never treated me unkindly. This made me feel like I was going to receive excellent care whenever I went there.

There are people who believe that if you use the NSSF card, you won’t get the seen or the medical care will be poor. When I hear this, I tell them not to believe the rumours. They should talk to the people who have used the service. I’d like to see people all over the country using the NSSF card to gain access to the same health services as wealthier people. I want everyone to have faith in the NSSF card because if I hadn’t been able to use mine, I wouldn’t be alive today.