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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Congenital malformation cases on the fall

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Muscat: The number of patients with congenital malformations admitted to various hospitals under Oman’s ministry of health has witnessed amassive drop in 2017.




Data reveals that the number of persons


with congenital disabilities sought medical admissions decreased by 413 cases


last year, from 4,087 in 2016.




However,


deaths as a result of birth defects decreased only by four in the same year


from 185 in 2016.




North Al


Batinah governorate had the highest number of deaths due to birth defects in


2016 and 2017, accounting for 20.6 per cent and 20 per cent, respectively




Royal Hospital


registered the highest number of patients with congenital malformations.




“There were 38.6


per cent and 37.8 per cent cases with such disabilities in 2016 and 2017,


respectively”, a report by National Centre for Statistics and Information


(NCSI), reveals.




Congenital


malformation is physical defect present in a baby


at birth that can involve many different parts of the body, including the


brain, heart, lungs, liver, bones, and intestinal tract.




Meanwhile, the


number of Omanis registered with the Oman's card system for disabled persons in


2017 reached 34,365, with 65 per cent of them being males and 35 per cent being


females.




“Motor


impairment is the major cause of large number of disability cases in the


Sultanate” points out the NCSI report.




Motor


impairment is the partial or total loss of function of a body part, usually a


limb or limbs.  This may result in muscle weakness, poor stamina, lack of


muscle control, or total paralysis.




The disability


is often evident in neurological conditions such a cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s


disease, stroke and multiple sclerosis.




According to


the NCSI report, a quarter, or 8,652, people have motor impairment, followed by


6,233 people with mental disabilities, and 4,592 people with hearing


disabilities.




There are


4,475 people with multiple disabilities and 2,577 people with visual


impairment.



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