PHNOM PENH, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Asia-Pacific parliamentarians gathered in the Cambodian capital on Tuesday to address universal health coverage (UHC) amid the rising challenges of climate change and artificial intelligence (AI).

Supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), the ninth Asia-Pacific Parliamentarian Forum on Global Health convened health experts and members of parliament from 16 countries and regions.

Lork Kheng, chairperson of the Cambodian National Assembly's Commission on Health, Social Affairs, Veterans, Youth Rehabilitation, Labor, Vocational Training and Women's Affairs, emphasized that UHC remains out of reach for many, forcing families to delay essential medical care due to high costs.

"Too many people in rural communities and vulnerable groups still struggle to access quality services," Kheng said during the opening session of the three-day forum. "This is a political challenge, not just a technical one."

She noted that climate change is now deeply intertwined with public health, accelerating disease risks, extreme weather, and medical service disruptions.

Conversely, Kheng highlighted AI's potential to revolutionize healthcare by streamlining information, aiding decision-making, improving early warning systems, and lowering administrative burdens.

However, she cautioned that AI is a tool, not a replacement for medical staff, adding that its ultimate value depends entirely on effective governance.

Saia Ma'u Piukala, WHO regional director for the Western Pacific, said that parliamentarians are indispensable partners in advancing health, urging them to use all available means to improve public well-being.

"You have the power to ensure new technologies, including AI, benefit everyone and not just a privileged few," he said.

Piukala praised Cambodia for leveraging AI to improve public health. He noted that at the O Krasa Health Center in Kep province, AI-assisted chest X-ray technology is successfully improving community tuberculosis screening.

"That is exactly how we should approach AI across our region," he said, adding that healthy families are less likely to fall into poverty, while healthy societies are more resilient.

Cambodian Minister of Health Chheang Ra warned that the world is changing faster than ever, noting that climate change and AI present unique risks to both public health and healthcare system capacities.

He identified extreme heat, floods, droughts, shifting vector-borne disease patterns, food insecurity, and air pollution as key environmental factors impacting health.

While AI demands significant responsibility, Ra emphasized its immense potential to transform the health sector.

"AI can accelerate data analysis, enhance diagnostic precision, support healthcare professionals, strengthen disease surveillance, predict outbreaks, and extend medical expertise to remote populations," he said.

However, Cambodia still faces critical health service delivery challenges, he said, adding that these include healthcare worker shortages, insufficient infrastructure, and severe geographic disparities, highlighted by the fact that up to 70 percent of specialist physicians are concentrated in Phnom Penh.

To bridge these gaps, Cambodia has introduced a roadmap to achieve UHC by 2035, Ra said.

The strategy aims to protect 80 percent of the population against health risks, ensure 80 percent coverage for essential health services, and slash out-of-pocket medical spending to 35 percent, he added.