Before you start

For NSSF: employment with a registered Cambodian employer, who enrols you
For private cover: a policy quote and medical history for underwriting
A Cambodian address and phone number for hospital registration
A realistic view of what is and is not treatable in-country

Step-by-step

1
Confirm your employer has registered you with NSSF
The National Social Security Fund covers healthcare, occupational risk and pension. Registration is the employer's duty and applies to foreign employees on the same terms as Cambodians — ask HR for confirmation rather than assuming, because coverage of foreign staff is a step some smaller employers still skip.
Via employerWho: Your employerWithin your first weeksHealthcare contribution split between employer and employee; pension contributions on top
2
Buy private insurance with named evacuation cover
Compare local Cambodian policies (cheaper, narrower) against international plans (dearer, direct billing at the good hospitals, portable). Read the evacuation section first: it should name a provider, state the destination, and not require pre-authorisation you couldn't obtain unconscious.
OnlineWho: YouA few days to compare and underwriteWide range — see totals
3
Register at a private hospital before you need one
Royal Phnom Penh Hospital, Khema International Polyclinic and Sen Sok International University Hospital are the usual first stops for foreigners. Register as a patient while you are well: they create a file, you learn where the entrance is, and you find out whether your insurer bills them directly.
In personWho: You~30 minFree to register
4
Find a dentist and a GP you trust early
Routine dentistry and general practice in Phnom Penh are good and cheap, and many foreign residents use the city for dental work they would defer at home. Getting recommendations in your first month is much easier than at 2am with an abscess.
In personWho: YouOngoingUSD 20–60 for a routine consultation
5
Keep your policy and evacuation number on your phone
Store the insurer's 24-hour assistance number, your policy number and the evacuation provider's details somewhere accessible offline, and tell one person locally where to find them. In a real emergency the delay is usually administrative, not clinical.
Mobile appWho: YouOngoingFree

Documents you’ll need

Passport and work permit (for NSSF enrolment via your employer)
NSSF card / number once registered
Private insurance certificate and direct-billing card
Hospital patient card
A written list of your medications with generic names

Things most newcomers don’t know

The evacuation clause, not the outpatient limit, is what you are actually buying.

Phnom Penh's private hospitals manage routine illness and minor surgery competently, but complex cardiac, oncology and major trauma cases are stabilised and flown out, usually to Bangkok. An air ambulance to Bangkok costs tens of thousands of dollars uninsured. Compare policies on whether evacuation is included, to where, and how it is triggered — everything else is secondary.

Source: expat-community consensus; insurer policy documents

NSSF now covers foreign employees on the same basis as Cambodians.

The National Social Security Fund's healthcare and pension schemes apply to all employees of registered employers, foreign nationals included, and the contributions are deducted from payroll. It is a real entitlement rather than a formality, but it is delivered through designated facilities and does not remove the need for private cover — treat it as a floor.

Source: NSSF guidance; Cambodia Investment Review

Pharmacies are permissive, which is convenient and dangerous.

Most medicines, including antibiotics, are sold over the counter in Phnom Penh without a prescription. That saves a lot of time for things you already understand, but it also means self-medicating with the wrong antibiotic is easy, and counterfeit or poorly stored stock exists outside the reputable chains. Use a large established pharmacy and check expiry dates.

Source: community-reported / WHO regional guidance on substandard medicines

Dengue is seasonal and it is the illness you are most likely to get.

Mosquito-borne dengue is endemic and peaks in the wet season, roughly May to October. There is no specific treatment and the danger window is when the fever breaks, so the practical advice is prevention — repellent, screens, no standing water on your balcony — and getting a blood test rather than assuming a fever is flu.

Source: Cambodian Ministry of Health / regional public health guidance

Common mistakes to avoid

Buying a policy without medical evacuation and discovering the limit of local care during an emergency
Assuming NSSF is enough, or assuming your employer registered you without checking
Waiting until you are ill to work out which hospital your insurer bills directly
Self-prescribing antibiotics from a small pharmacy of unknown provenance
Treating a wet-season fever as flu instead of getting tested for dengue

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.