MUSCAT: Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed al Saeedi, Minister of Health, highlighted the attention of the government for the sound foundations of the integrated health system, which covers spending, equivalent to 2.7 per cent of the GDP.
He said in a statement to Oman daily newspaper that the government accounts for 81.1 per cent of the total health expenditure.
It manages approximately 83.1 per cent of the hospitals, 95.5 per cent of the hospital beds, 62.2 per cent of outpatient services and 94.5 per cent of the inpatient care services.
The Minister of Health considered that the rapid reduction of mortality rates and control of communicable diseases is a healthy development achievement, pointing out that the Legatum/Welfare Index confirms the development of the health sector, where the Sultanate comes second in the Arab world and 26 internationally in the health foundation.
He said that during the Eighth Five-Year Plan, five hospitals, 4 specialised health centres and 39 health centres were opened and operated in different governorates.
The ministry also introduced 79 diagnostic and treatment services in health institutions throughout the Sultanate, praising the role of the active private sector in establishing private health institutions that participate in health development, adding that by the end of 2015 there were 15 private hospitals, including 10 hospitals in the Governorate of Muscat.
Dr Al Saeedi said that the ministry has dispatched inside and outside the Sultanate about 1,755 employees between 2010 and the end of 2016, adding that 1,029 of them have returned, while 650 of them are still studying, including 247 doctors who have been dispatched for specialisations. — ONA
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
