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The International Journal of the Royal Society of Thailand
             Volume XV-2023



             supplying study materials from Bangkok and 4) setting up a new study site with a
             new study partner, a local NGO, AHEAD. Despite receiving approval in July 2021,
             the CAM-VMW was only able to officially launch in November 2021 due to delays in
             the  manufacturing  and  supply  of  Dengue  and  Malaria/CRP  RDTs  from  Korea.
             Since then all studies have continued to successfully recruit, and COVID-19 case

             numbers have plateaued.



             Discussion

                    COVID-19 pandemic presented an unprecedented challenge to the health
             system globally, the brunt of the pandemic was experienced relatively prominently
             in resource limited settings (Mishra et al, 2022). Cambodia is one of the low- and

             middle-income countries (LMICs) within Greater Mekong Subregion that struggled
             with the resources to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. Echoing with the global strategy,
             Cambodia implemented nationwide lockdown that entailed various restrictions
             on  travelling,  and  thus  inevitably  restrictions  on  research  related  movements
             (e.g. human resources, logistics and supplies). The lockdown and restrictions posed

             major challenges in initiating new and continuing the ongoing research. Despite
             of these challenges, MORU together with CNM was able to maintain the research
             activities and thus bears essential lessons that can be useful for future research and

             implementations.
                    Firstly, MORU had an existing partnership with CNM since the first antimalarial

             research conducted in Pailin, western Cambodia in 2007. The 2007 antimalarial research
             revealed the first identification of Artemisinin Combination therapy (ACT) resistance,
             which was a major public health concern that informed the subsequent research

             in malaria not just in Cambodia but around Greater Mekong Sub-region and elsewhere.
             The implications of the research in western Cambodia soon became the hallmark for
             future of malaria research globally and also added to the need for and significance of
             MORU-CNM partnership. During the conduct of research in western Cambodia
             and subsequently around the malaria endemic districts within Cambodia, MORU’s

             researchers and CNM partners strengthened the partnership through co-sharing of
             resources (for e.g. research ideas, administrative and regulatory support, policy
             translation and scientific output). Also, continuous presence of MORU in Cambodia,

             ongoing collaborations and interactive relationships with CNM built and institutionalized
             trust between researchers and the CNM counterparts. Trust and relationship building
             have  been  implicated  as  one  of  the  major  foundations  for  success  of  research,
             implementation and participation uptake (Adhikari et al, 2018; Adhikari et al, 2022a).



                                          Sustaining Health Research During the COVID-19 Pandemic:
             46                                           Lessons from Field Sites in Rural Cambodia
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