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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

No plan to privatise govt hospitals

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Muscat, Oct 15 - The government on Sunday said there is no plan to privatise any of the existing government hospitals as reported in social media, based on an interview given by Dr Ali bin Masoud al Sunaidy, Minister of Commerce and Industry, to an Arabic TV channel.


The statement said the matter of privatisation of public hospitals has not been discussed by the government.


It clarified that there have been proposals from the private sector to finance on a long-term basis for designing/developing new hospitals.


The minister had said the existing government hospitals will continue to be managed by the government in tandem with several private hospitals and clinics.


The government has been inviting international healthcare brands to set up hospitals in Oman through joint ventures. The scope for health sector growth in Oman has been immense as many nationals travel abroad for specialised treatments.


At the end of 2016, there were 19 private hospitals, 462 general clinics, 288 specialised clinics and polyclinics, and 251 dental clinics across the country.


In the public sector, by 2016, the Ministry of Health was running 49 hospitals with a total of 5,034 hospital beds. There are 206 health centres, of which 65 are equipped with beds (total of 109 beds) and 23 extended health centres.


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