Table of Contents
Introduction
The speediest growth in healthcare spending is expected to be in the Middle East and Africa. The region could see an annual average increase of around 9% over 2014-2018, due in part to population development and growth and efforts to expand access to care. Currently, even though efforts by the private and public sectors, indicators such as the density of provision of beds, doctors and nurses in the region lag those in developed economies. The average number of beds per 1,000 people in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries was 1.9 in 2012. Average healthcare expenditure as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) in the GCC is estimated to be 2.3 in 2013.
Location
Oman is placed in the Middle East in the south eastern quarter of the Arabian. The country borders at the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.
Geography
Oman is the only country in the world composed frequently crust and rocks. The greatest outstanding geological features of this country is the “Al Hajar Mountain” range, which methods or forms an arc from the North West to the South East of this country.
127 our experts are availableright now
Climate
The weather or temperature of Oman is extremity hot and dry. Temperature can rise up to 50° C, and the humidity can rise as high as 90 percent.
Population
The current population of Oman is 5,010,940 as of Thursday, October 10, 2019, based on World meters elaboration of the latest United Nations data. Population of Oman is equivalent to 0.06% of the population. Also, it ranks number 122 in the list of countries (and dependencies) by population. The population density in Oman is 16 per Km2 (42 people per mi2). The total land area is 309,500 Km2 (119,499 sq. miles). 85.9 % of the population is urban (4,273,762 people in 2019). The median age in Oman is 29.3 years.
Health care system organization
The Minister of Health is assisted by three Undersecretaries respectively for Planning Affairs, Health Affairs, and Administrative & Financial Affairs. A number of Directorates General and Directorates come under each of the Offices of the Undersecretaries. The Office of the Undersecretary for Health Affairs ensures effective and efficient delivery of comprehensive health care to the people of Oman. The Directorate General of Pharmaceutical Affairs & Drug Control develops and implements national drug policy. The Royal Hospital, the nation’s apex hospital, comes directly under the Minister of Health.
The Office of Undersecretary for Planning Affairs has a number of Directorates General and Directorates. The organizational structure of MoH is designed to suit its role and functions. The Directorate General of Planning incorporates: the Directorate of Health Information and Statistics, which develops and maintains the Ministry’s health information system; the Directorate of Research & Studies, which is responsible for developing health systems research capabilities and conducting field studies; the Directorate of Planning, which prepares the health plans; human resource plans and special programs, and the Directorate of Monitoring & Evaluation, which monitors the implementation of the plans. A number of Directorates General (DG) function under the Office of the Undersecretary for Administrative and Financial Affairs. These function in coordination to formulate the health plans for developing the health services.
The Directorate General of Health Affairs (DGHA) comes under this Office and incorporates a number of directorates: Family & Community Health, Communicable Disease Surveillance & Control, Non Communicable Disease Surveillance and Control, Environmental Health, Malaria Eradication, Health Education, School Health, Public Health Laboratories, Blood Bank Services, Hospital Affairs, Nutrition, Primary Health Care, Community Based Initiative, Quality Assurance and Nursing & Midwifery.
Primary health care and the referral system
MoH considers Primary Health Care (PHC) as the main entry point for other levels of care. All the essential elements of PHC are covered in the activities of primary health care centers viz. This makes health care more accessible to populations who would otherwise have to travel long distances to visit a health center. The primary care service delivery system is well established and is based on clear principles. The local hospitals, all with a small number of beds, provide primary health care services to the people in the specified catchment area of the hospital, and render basic inpatient care if necessary. While the health center is the main vehicle for giving access to the health care for local populations, there is a complementary mode of service, which is the extended health center.
The next level of organization for PHC system is the Wilayat. Specialist secondary and tertiary care is accessed through referral from health centers. The Health Centers and EHCs do not provide any inpatient care services. At this level, the boundaries and populations served by the health system match those of local government. The Wilayat and the health center are both natural levels of organization for inducting the community support group volunteers, whose main orientation is towards health education in the community. A Central Primary Health Care Committee and a Directorate of Primary Health Care under DGHA, MoH-HQ spearhead primary health care development. Another form of integration among different sectors related to health is the child care plan or the “National Women and Child Care Plan (NWCCP)” in which other government agencies and NGOs are involved.
Secondary health care is provided through regional and sub-regional (Wilayat) hospitals. All regional referral hospitals and major Wilayat hospitals are autonomous hospitals with a reasonable degree of decision making authority. A secondary health care institution may also extend certain primary health care services for patients in its catchment area, if PHC centers are less accessible to the clientele. Each health region has one main regional hospital and some have one or more Wilayat hospitals. These hospitals provide ambulatory and inpatient specialty services to the population of the region. The hospitals are well-staffed and well-equipped to manage all secondary level curative health care services.
Tertiary Health Care is specialized care requiring a higher competence level. It is provided through national referral hospitals viz. the Royal Hospital, Khoula Hospital, Al Nahdha Hospital and Ibn Sina Hospital. This clearly shows that Oman is almost fully self-reliant in health care facilities today. Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, with its autonomous status, augments the tertiary health care services. Certain national centers such as the oncology center form part of the Royal Hospital. Only a total of 121 patients were treated outside the country for conditions requiring sub-specialty care. Ibn Sina Hospital is a psychiatry hospital and the others are general acute care hospitals. The numbers of patients treated outside the country have come down in recent years as more and more services become available in the country.
The public health care system
This covers primary care, specialist appointments, and almost all medical treatments as needed. If you are an expat but are employed by the government, then you usually receive public health care. If you are from outside the GCC and employed in the private sector, then you are not covered by the public system and will need to have private insurance.
Private health care
Private healthcare in Oman had to organize their own health care, as it was not mandatory for employers with insurance. However, a new law in 2018 has announced that providing health insurance for international workers is now mandatory, although the details are still not known as it to how this will be implemented. There is a wide range of private health insurance providers in the country, so research plans in advance to ensure they will best meet the requirements of you and your family. Medical treatments can be accessed quickly, and the private system provides care to a very high standard. In Muscat, medical facilities are very easy to access, but if you are spending time in more remote areas, consider asking your doctor for information on the area’s medical services before you travel. Medicines can also be accessed easily, although it is important to note that some medications, such as certain antidepressants, are banned in the country, so talk to your doctor before travelling to ensure you have access to your medications overseas.
Licensing procedure for health care professionals
In Oman, the self-governing regulator that oversees the equivalency certification is the Oman Medical Specialty Board. They require that qualified foreign healthcare professionals undergo the Prometric exam and get documents verification from Data Flow. Aside from local exams, they have contracted Prometric to dispense medical exams. Oman Medical Specialty Board oversees and administers exams both locally and internationally. Most regulators or governing bodies from the GCC require a PSV report. Before they validate documents though, they make sure it’s authentic by having DataFlow issue a Primary Source Verification (PSV) Report on it. Primary Source Verification (PSV) is the process of certifying the documents directly from the issuing body. Of the questions that are most asked about in getting an Oman Healthcare Professional license, it’s about the Prometric exam. The regulator’s portals will link you to the Data Flow. The Data Flow Group is the leading provider of PSV solutions. It also supervises the evaluation of professional licenses issued by other countries. It would be up to you if you want to take the Prometric test first or Data Flow first.
Health care system in Oman
The World Health Organization (WHO) definition of a health system in Oman is a system that “consists of all organizations, people and actions whose primary intent is to promote, restore or maintain health”. The Health Vision 2050 in Oman uses the “WHO Framework for Action on Health System” to describe the main six building blocks of the health system: leadership or governance, financing, human resources for health, service delivery, information, and medical products, vaccines and technology. A health system should also be concerned with non-health needs. A health system should also attend to people’s wishes and expectations on how they are treated by providers of care or non-personal services.
Health system in Oman can be perceived or seen to involve of a health care delivery system, other sectors related to health and community participation.
Health care system in UAE
The health care organization and structure in the UAE is different. There are four regulators or managers in the UAE: – The Ministry of Health – Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD) – Dubai Health Authority (DHA) – Dubai Healthcare City Free Zone Each entity has responsibility for facilities, licensing of doctors and nurses and market regulation within its authority. The Ministry of Health continues to play a critical role in providing healthcare, but it is not the only actor in the UAE healthcare system.
