1. Project Outline
• Project Period：
Apr. 2008～Mar. 2011
• Project Area：Catchment
areas of 6 health centers in
Prey Veng Operational
District, Prey Veng Province
• Target group：Health center
staff and Community Health
Workers（VHSG and TBA）of
the target area,
approximately 300 in total.
1) VHSG :Village Health Support Group

2. Project purpose：6 target Health Centers provide
Integrated ANC/PNC and Growth Monitoring services
through collaboration with Community Health
Workers.
*Integrated services include measuring weight/height, history taking
and physical check-up, early detection of problems , immunization,
micro-nutrient, and health education.
Objective of the survey
To identify activities by VHSG and collaboration
between HC staff and VHSG at the time of
starting the project.

3. Survey method
• Target：18 Health Center staff and 97 VHSG who were
randomly selected.
• Target area：Catchment areas of the 6 target HC
• Method：Face-to-face interview by using questionnaire
• Period：June - July, 2008
• Contents：VHSG activities (selection process, motivation,
contents of activities), collaboration between VHSG and
HC (including management by HC), contributing factors
for VHSG to continue their activities.
• Analysis：Comparing answers by HC staff and VHSG for
the same question.
• Ethical consideration：The interviewers explained the
purpose of the survey and confidentiality to interviewees.

4. Results
Main Activities done by VHSG
(Answers by HC staff and VHSG）
100
90
80
70
60
50
HC staff
40 VHSG
30
20
10
0 Collect Collect and inform Disseminate Detect TB Conduct HE Inform Refer patients
children/women health data information about suspect/Supprot community's
for outreach HC service TB DOTS complain/request
activity about HC service

5. Results (continued)
Request/consulation HC
Difficulties in VHSG staff have received from
activities （N=36)
VHSG （N=18)
45
40 60
35
50
30
25
40
20 30
15
20
10
10
5
0 Nomeans of No collaboration Too much work Lack of health No financial
0 Request for Request for Health Difficult to get
transportation from villagers knowledge benefits
financial material education in collboration
incentive incentive community from villagers
Main difficulties raised by VHSG raised were; collecting mothers and
children for outreach services(61.1%) ; and conducting health
education(27.8%).

6. Results (continued)
Factors for VHSG to continue their activities
Answers by VHSG（N=93） Answers by HC staff （N=18)
90 90
80 80
70 70
60 60
50 50
40 40
30 30
20 20
10 10
0 Satisfaction as HV Material and financial Increase health Others
0 Financial Technical Material support
Emorional/moral Others
benefits knowledge support support support

7. Main findings
• Main activities by VHSG were supporting HC’s
outreach services.
• Health Center did not pay much recognition to
some VHSG activities such as health education,
referral of patients and sending voices of
community people to Health Center.
• While majority of VHSG chose moral/emotional
support as the most important factor for them to
continue their activities, HC staff considered
providing financial benefits was more important.

8. Conclusion
• Health Center staff were rather negative towards collaboration
with VHSG which supposed to be essential for HC to provide
quality services to community members. Many HC staff were
hesitant to collaborate with VHSG without providing financial
benefits.
• Such attitudes of HC staff were largely influenced by the
situation where many aid agencies (especially NGOs) actually
provided financial incentives to VHSG, much more than HC
could afford to do so. As VHSG became ‘paid-volunteers’ ,
which was actually opposite to their expected roles under the
national policy, a big challenge arose in promoting VHSG’s
activities with their own initiative.
• There is a necessity to strengthen collaboration among
community members, CHWs, and HC staff in more sustainable
way, such as providing technical support and creating
opportunity for mutual communication; this is a core element of
our approach to implement project activities.