VOA慢速英语2015 柬埔寨仅提供有限的精神健康服务

AS IT IS 2015-05-22 Limited Mental Health Services Being Offered in Cambodia

Cambodia has some of the world’s worst mental health statistics. Experts say the large number of cases is partly a result of Khmer Rouge¹ rule in the 1970s.

The Cambodian government spends little on mental health services. The World Health Organization says such services are, in its words, “critically neglected.”

Experts do not believe that will change anytime soon, because few Cambodian students are interested in psychiatry² as a career -- they have little or no interest in the treatment and prevention of mental disorders³.

Most Cambodians live in rural areas. But few mental health services are provided there. So people must go to psychiatric centers in cities, like the Khmer-Soviet Hospital in Phnom Penh. It is one of the busiest clinics in the country.

Yem Sobotra is the director of the clinic. He says that, 15 years ago, it cared for between 70 and 150 patients every day. When our reporter visited recently, the daily average was 400. The clinic has just 10 psychiatrists⁵ and 10 nurses or aides. So most patients are treated for just a few minutes and leave with a bottle of pills.

Dr. Yem Sobotra knows medicine can help patients, but is not the only answer. He says the clinic could help people more if it had more money and other resources.

“So we (have) not much time to give good service for them -- especially for psychotherapy. We just only (give) some short counseling, short psychotherapy to the patient.”

In addition to the lack of trained mental health specialists, Cambodia does not have the newer drugs used in neighboring Vietnam and Thailand.

Cambodia needs more psychiatrists, but few young people seem interested in the subject. Nationwide, just six students are taking the three-year-long study program.

Experts say low pay and the challenges of studying psychiatry keep many Cambodians from wanting to get training

TPO-Cambodia is a respected mental health non-profit group.

Dr. Chhim Sotheara is its executive director. He says Cambodia has many needs but few resources, especially in rural areas. And he says the government is not doing enough. He also says the psychiatry training program should be offered to other health care workers.

“We don’t have anyone who are enrolling⁷ in the psychiatry training program, so that’s not going to happen. So I think the transferring (of) skills from the specialist psychiatrist⁴ to GP, GP to nurse, and to village health support group(s), traditional healers, the monks⁸, the nuns⁹ and all this would be good.”

Dr. Muny Sothara is deputy director of the government’s newly-created Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse. He says there has been an improvement in mental health care services in recent years. But he admits more is needed.

“For the coming future we need to improve the quality of the existing trained staff and mobilize new general practitioner¹⁰(s) and nurses in order to operate more mental health unit(s) in other sector(s) down.”

Our reporter repeatedly asked Cambodian officials how many doctors and nurses have been trained in mental health care. But the question was never answered.

The Cambodian government spends about $1,000,000 a year on mental health services. That is much less than is needed. So it is not likely that the country’s mental health care delivery system will improve any time soon.

Words in This Story

statistics – n. numerical information

psychiatry – n. the area of medicine that deals with mental or emotional disorders

clinic – n. a place where people get medical help

psychotherapy – n. treatment of mental or emotional disorders by talking about problems instead of using medicine or drugs

enroll⁶ – v. to enter (someone) as a member of something

transfer – v. to use (something, such as an idea or a skill) for a new or different purpose

GP – n. acronym¹¹ for General Practitioner; a person (especially a doctor) who is not a specialist

mobilize – v. to come together for action

1 rouge   

n.胭脂，口红唇膏；v.(在…上)擦口红

参考例句：

• Women put rouge on their cheeks to make their faces pretty.女人往面颊上涂胭脂，使脸更漂亮。
• She didn't need any powder or lip rouge to make her pretty.她天生漂亮，不需要任何脂粉唇膏打扮自己。

2 psychiatry   

n.精神病学，精神病疗法

参考例句：

• The study appeared in the Amercian science Journal of Psychiatry.这个研究发表在美国精神病学的杂志上。
• A physician is someone who specializes in psychiatry.精神病专家是专门从事精神病治疗的人。

3 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 psychiatrist   

n.精神病专家；精神病医师

参考例句：

• He went to a psychiatrist about his compulsive gambling.他去看精神科医生治疗不能自拔的赌瘾。
• The psychiatrist corrected him gently.精神病医师彬彬有礼地纠正他。

5 psychiatrists   

n.精神病专家，精神病医生( psychiatrist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They are psychiatrists in good standing. 他们是合格的精神病医生。 来自辞典例句
• Some psychiatrists have patients who grow almost alarmed at how congenial they suddenly feel. 有些精神分析学家发现，他们的某些病人在突然感到惬意的时候几乎会兴奋起来。 来自名作英译部分

6 enroll   

v.招收；登记；入学；参军；成为会员（英)enrol

参考例句：

• I should like to enroll all my children in the swimming class.我愿意让我的孩子们都参加游泳班。
• They enroll him as a member of the club.他们吸收他为俱乐部会员。

7 enrolling   

v.招收( enrol的现在分词 )；吸收；入学；加入；[亦作enrol]( enroll的现在分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起

参考例句：

• They lashed out at the university enrolling system. 他们猛烈抨击大学的招生制度。 来自辞典例句
• You're enrolling in a country club, Billy. 你是注册加入乡村俱乐部了，比利。 来自辞典例句

8 monks   

n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The monks lived a very ascetic life. 僧侣过着很清苦的生活。
• He had been trained rigorously by the monks. 他接受过修道士的严格训练。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 nuns   

n.（通常指基督教的）修女， （佛教的）尼姑( nun的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Ah Q had always had the greatest contempt for such people as little nuns. 小尼姑之流是阿Q本来视如草芥的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Nuns are under vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. 修女须立誓保持清贫、贞洁、顺从。 来自辞典例句

10 practitioner   

n.实践者，从事者；(医生或律师等)开业者

参考例句：

• He is an unqualified practitioner of law.他是个无资格的律师。
• She was a medical practitioner before she entered politics.从政前她是个开业医生。

11 acronym   

n.首字母简略词，简称

参考例句：

• That's a mouthful of an acronym for a very simple technology.对于一项非常简单的技术来说，这是一个很绕口的缩写词。
• TSDF is an acronym for Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facilities.TSDF是处理，储存和处置设施的一个缩写。