A campaign calling for the improvement in women access to primary healthcare services was deliberately organised during the Human Rights Day was ably prepared with a view to starting with a curative component of the 8 components as stipulated in the Alma Ata Declaration 1978. Specifically, the campaign was meant to demand change in primary health center services around the availability, quality and effectiveness of health center services in relation to communities' affordability.

It could draw the attention of hundreds of people of Pursat province, most of whom women, women's rights activists, NGOs working on women's health. Officials including head of provincial department of health, department of women's affairs, head of Sampov Meas operational district hospital and female provincial deputy governor were present. To send messages to the greater audience, TV and English and Khmer newspapers were invited to report on people's testimonies and reactions from the relevant authority.

Preliminary results and impacts were the campaign serving as a forum for more than 400 women from 14 poor villages. These women have suffered a lot in terms of health and the denial of this guaranteed healthcare right. But these women in particular have never had this kind of platform to speak out. They could just feel difficulty. They did not realise that they have the right to healthcare, the right to express, and that they could challenge. At the forum, the women could exhibit their health challenges.

Some of typical messages in the chartered demands read in people's terms "they did not do operation on my child until I gave them 10,000 Riel (USD 2.5). I begged them to wait and get the money as soon as my husband arrived. They said they won't operate until they are paid." The other softer messages included requests for change in behaviours of health staff and in the fees for health services that are supposed to be free.

"If when women go for pregnancy check and health staff don't do it, who will do? Please health staff be available on weekends, we don't know when we fall ill. Please health staff be courteous, humble to poor patients," read some of other banners.

The public expression received prompt support and commitment by the officials. Pa La In, deputy head of Pursat health department promised to look into the issues while saying staff are not allowed to take money from patients. She acknowledged some did, though.

Chut Sophany, Pursat deputy governor felt happy to see women dare speak to authority, saying that she would remind health department of treating all patients equally and that health staff should take "suitable amount" from the poor.

Beyond informing and demanding proper actions from the authorities at different levels, the work has served as a linkage with the authorities for post campaign dialogue. If there was no such open and face-to-face exposure, the health centers would not be challenged and then acknowledge their gap. Hak Kiri, executive director of Alliance Association for Rural Restoration (AARR) who was the co-coordinator of the rally, met with the governor after the event.

He believed, reiterating the governor position, that the campaign "has brought the officials in authority to witness the gap of their work" and that they are keen on linking the post campaign work to their health programme.

Pursat was chosen for this health advocacy because it is one of the provinces where there are rampant health incidents faced particularly by rural women. Women's access to quality healthcare is a major concern. It is also hoped that the campaign will lead to similar campaigns in other provinces. Two partner organisations, AARR and Rural Friend Community for Development (RFCD) led the campaign. In preparation for the campaign, a study on women's access to primary healthcare at health center, their affordability, the availability of health staff and the effectiveness of health services was done by community women from the 14 villages with facilitation and support from two partner organisations and ActionAid.