Muscat: Studies indicate that more than half of the population in the Sultanate of Oman suffers from overweight and obesity, and 33 per cent suffer from high blood pressure. More than 2,000 are diagnosed with cancer each year.
This was revealed by Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed al Saeedi, Minister of Health, during the launch of the ‘National Monitoring Framework for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases on Monday. The programme was launched by the Directorate General of Primary of Healthcare at the Ministry of Health (MoH), represented by the Department of Non-Communicable Diseases, and in collaboration with World Health Organization (WHO).
Dr Jean Jabbour, WHO Representative to the Sultanate of Oman, and Dr Fatima al Ajmiyah, MoH’s Under-Secretary for Administrative, Financial and Planning Affairs, was also present on the occasion. In addition, a team of experts from the WHO Office for the Eastern Mediterranean Region, and a number of stakeholders from the health sector and officials of various ministries in the Sultanate of Oman attended it virtually.
Dr Al Saeedi stressed that the first step to control NCDs and reduce their burden is to integrate prevention methods into development policies through strengthening policies, developing capacities and supporting efforts to develop effective prevention mechanisms, which includes strengthening monitoring systems to provide key data to develop appropriate interventions.
monitoring framework
The health mnister hoped that the national monitoring framework for preventing and controlling non-communicable diseases would ensure organised and effective multi-sectoral cooperation to achieve the goals set in the national and global agendas, thus ensuring further progress towards universal health coverage and sustainable development.
The event included the WHO-Sultanate of Oman office address. Dr Jabbour affirmed that close monitoring remains an integrated approach to treating non-communicable diseases.
Tracking progress, providing required information in a timely manner, and enabling appropriate planning at the national level are among the most important ways to coexist with these diseases.
In addition, evidence-based planning is key to activating the required political will to intensify efforts to prevent and control non-communicable diseases as a major health priority. Who representative in the Sultanate of Oman highlighted the country’s leading role in NCDs control and its keenness to prevent premature mortality from non-communicable diseases, applauding meanwhile the efforts of MoH and all parties involved in developing this significant framework. This national framework, which is an integral part of the National Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases, was prepared to reinforce the accountability and commitment of different sectors in implementing the various recommended interventions for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases. The structure of this framework is based on various local, regional and global high priority indicators related to the control of the most common non-communicable diseases (e.g., cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and mental health), in addition to the indicators related to reducing the exposure to risk factors associated with these diseases (e.g., tobacco use, alcohol use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and air pollution). This work is considered one of the pioneering achievements in the region and a mainstay of the NCD surveillance system in the Sultanate of Oman. Besides the operational definition of each indicator, all indicators are arranged in a logical order to help assess the progress in achieving the desired targets and identify the gaps in implementing the various interventions.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
