Building Trust for Cambodia’s Digital Health Future: Insights from the EuroCham Healthcare Forum 2025

Among the standout voices of the event, the intervention of Mr. Oudam Rony, expert in regulation and digital innovation (BNC), captured particular attention for the clarity of his analysis and the strategic depth of his insights.

Mr. Oudam Rony, Expert in Regulation and Digital Innovation (BNC)

Mr. Rony offered an enlightening parallel between Cambodia’s financial sector—already transformed by digitalization—and digital health, a field with vast potential but still in need of structuring. “The Cambodian financial sector offers valuable lessons in building trust through data—lessons that could guide the future of digital health,” he stated, emphasizing the crucial role of trust infrastructures in developing reliable digital services.

Building Trust: The Key to Digital Transformation

Among the exemplary cases he cited was the Credit Bureau Cambodia, established in 2012—a public-private initiative supported by the National Bank of Cambodia and various international partners. Through what he described as a “new regulatory, supervised, and iterative logic,” the Bureau fostered a climate of trust grounded in transparency and data protection.Mr. Rony explained:

“When countries were initially hesitant to share data, the Credit Bureau of Cambodia established a private security guardrail and made the Bureau’s consent mandatory, even before the national data protection law existed.”

This model enabled more than 5 million Cambodians to build solid credit profiles, improving access to finance and stimulating the economy.

Building on this foundation, he highlighted the need to develop an analogous approach for digital health:“Trust must be designed first, not assumed. Patients must feel confident that their records are private and secure, while doctors must trust the shared data they did not generate themselves.”

Governance and Public-Private Collaboration

One of Mr. Rony’s key lessons concerned governance models. He warned against the risks of fragmentation if institutions act in isolation:“If each hospital starts building its own isolated system, we risk fragmentation. But if partners develop national platforms—like shared electronic medical records, patient IDs, and health data centers—we can ensure interoperability and participation.”

He advocated for a hybrid model inspired by the financial sector, where regulators and private actors collaborate closely.“It wasn’t a digital platform or a single private company, but a partner entity of the financial industry regulated by the National Bank. This same principle of governance—where public oversight coexists with private engagement—can be applied by authorities to enhance trust and efficiency in managing health data.”

Resilience and Sustainability of Digital Infrastructures

Mr. Rony also stressed resilience as a sine qua non condition.“In the private sector, we ensure continuity even during outbreaks or cyber crises. The Health Data platform must do the same. This includes distributed storage, strong cybersecurity, and readiness for crisis use. Without resilience, public trust erodes.”

This vision came with a strategic reflection on the macroeconomic impact of digital health:“A robust system can save lives, manage epidemics, and attract investment. Health data is not only a clinical tool but a national infrastructure that supports development, resilience, and innovation.”

A Regionally Inspired Approach

To reinforce his message, Mr. Rony referenced proven regional models—most notably Singapore, which as early as 2018 began experimenting with telemedicine in a secure regulatory framework, resulting in one of the world’s most trusted systems by 2022.“This experimental approach under controlled conditions demonstrates that trust and empowerment are at the heart of success.”

A Call to Action for Cambodia

Mr. Oudam Rony’s intervention thus laid the groundwork for a roadmap for digital health in Cambodia, structured around the pillars of trust, governance, resilience, and infrastructure sustainability.He called for building an inclusive digital ecosystem rooted in public-private collaboration and ensuring strict protection of personal data from the outset.

At a time when digital transformation is accelerating, his message resonates as an essential strategic guide for Cambodian health sector leaders and policymakers:“The message is simple—we must build trust by protecting confidentiality from the very beginning of digital platform adoption.”

This diagnosis and its recommendations offer a solid vision for building a safer, more efficient, and innovative health system—aligned with Cambodia’s ambitions in the digital era.