Muscat: Sayyid Hamoud bin Faisal al Busaidi, Minister of Interior — Chairman of the Supreme Committee tasked with tackling developments resulting from Coronavirus (Covid-19), and members of the committee on Monday went on tour of the Covid-19 Field Hospital set up at the premises of old Muscat International Airport.
Sayyid Hamoud and the panel members inspected equipment of the hospital and its different components and they listened to a detailed account about ways to deal with Covid-19 patients.
Dr Mohammed bin Saif al Hosani, Health Affairs Under-Secretary at the Ministry of Health, hoped that the 312-field hospital will begin its tasks by the end of September or early October.
In a press statement, Dr Mohammed said that the hospital will start functioning with 100 beds, noting that the facility includes a shelter furnished with 23-24 beds. If deemed necessary, the facility will be converted into a standard hospital.
Dr Mohammed explained that the hospital, now under construction, is dedicated to Covid-19 patients to ease pressure on referral hospitals of Muscat Governorate and adjoining governorates.
The field hospital will not directly receive Covid-19 patients, but patients whose condition calls for admission will be transferred here, only for medium-level care. Serious cases that may develop at the field hospital will be transferred to referral hospitals by ambulance, Dr Mohammed added.
In other comments, Dr Mohammed pointed out that the Ministry of Health is in touch with Covid-19 vaccine producing companies, which expressed their willingness to supply the Sultanate with globally-licensed vaccines, but, he explained, “None of them are available so far. We hope to receive 20 per cent of the needs of the Sultanate’s population by the end of this year.”
Dr Mohammed al Hosani explained that the Ministry of Health’s plan in using the vaccine is based on priority so that front line health workers and personnel of the Sultan's Armed Forces (SAF) and Royal Oman Police (ROP) will be the first to receive the vaccine.
The Sultanate joined the Global Alliance of Vaccines which will provide the Sultanate 10 per cent of Covid-19 vaccine by the end of 2020 while the other 10 per cent will be collected from other producing firms, said Dr Mohammed.
Built on an area of 6,100 square metres, the field hospital will help restore the operational capacity of basic health services, besides keeping risks posed to hospital health workers at bay.
The field hospital will operate with a team from Health Ministry consisting of 30 doctors, 115 nurses, 7 technicians, 7 assistant pharmacists and 7 ex-ray technicians. The adjoining shelter is set up on an area of 10,000 square metres with capacity to accommodate 384 beds.
The facility’s establishment is a fruitful outcome of cooperation between government and private parties, including the Ministry of Health, the Civil Aviation Authority, Oman Airport Company, Petroleum Development Oman, Royal Court Affairs, Royal Oman Police and other parties concerned. --ONA
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