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