The Ministry of Health (Moh) has issued the annual health report for 2019, which highlighted the most important achievements in the Sultanate in the health sector.
The total number of employees in the Ministry of Health by the end of December 2019 was 39,413, with an Omanisation rate of 68 per cent.
The report says there has been an increase in the expenditures of the Ministry of Health compared to previous three years (2016-2018) due to the fluctuation in global oil prices and the accompanying economic changes, as the report indicated that the total recurrent expenditures at MoH amounted to RO793.3 million in 2019, compared to RO674 million in 2018, an increase of 17.7 per cent.
The development expenses decreased from RO25.5 million to RO21.6 million during the same period.
Four health centers were opened in each of the Governorate of Muscat, Al-Dakhiliyah, Al Dhahirah, and Al Wusta, bringing the and thus the total number of health centers and complexes run by MoH to 211 centers, of which 54 are health centers 84 beds and 22 complexes by the end of 2019, in addition to 50 hospitals with 5,049 beds. Several services have been added to these institutions to improve the quality of health services provided at all levels.
About vital indicators, the birth rate among Omanis was 30.3 per 1,000 population in 2019 and the death rate among Omanis was 2.7 per 1,000 population for the same period.
The death rate among children less than five years of age decreased to reach 10.2 per 1,000 live births in 2019, compared to 11 per thousand live births in 2018, the infant mortality rate (less than one year) per 1000 live births decreased from 8.5 to 8 for the same period. The calculation of these indicators is based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) approved by the World Health Organisation.
The report showed that measles was controlled, as only 22 cases were recorded in 2019 after the number of cases reached 133 and 97 cases in 2016 and 2017 respectively. The Sultanate has remained free of polio since 1993 and diphtheria since 1991.
Data of inpatients at the MoH hospitals indicate that three out of every 10,000 of the population are hospitalised due to high blood pressure diseases and six per 10,000 of the population due to diabetes. The data also showed that about 25 per cent of all hospital deaths were due to heart disease and the circulatory system and that about 13 per cent were due to cancer-related diseases. The report indicates a steady increase in the incidence of non-communicable diseases, as the rate reached 44.2 per cent among outpatients and 39.8 per cent among inpatients.
The expansion of health services has led to a steady increase in the use of these services over the years, as the year 2019 witnessed a slight decrease in the number of visitors’ visits to outpatient clinics, reaching 15.7 million, a slight increase of 1.3 per cent compared to last year.
The average number of outpatient visits per capita was 5.6 during the year 2019. The total number of discharged patients reached 331,000 from hospitals affiliated with the Ministry of Health and the average length of hospital stay was about 3.1 days of hospital stay, with an occupancy rate of 60.9 per cent per family.
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