Tuesday, March 19, 2024 | Ramadan 8, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

WHO reviews sultanate Health Information System (HIS)

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Muscat: The Ministry of Health (MOH) received this week Experts delegation from World Health Organization Regional Office for Eastern Mediterranean Region, currently visiting the Sultanate for several days. The aim of the visit is to review and assess national health information system (NHIS) in Oman.


Within the WHO-EMRO and MOH cooperation framework, the delegation would go through the Sultanate’s HIS, observing strong HIS as well as addressing weakness characteristics.


Meanwhile, a meeting was held chaired by Director General of Planning and Studies, Dr Ahmed Mohammed Al Qasmi. The meeting shed light on the Sultanate Health Information System, which is one of the advanced systems in the region considering the obtained high-quality national health data. The Ministry is working intensely with the relevant stakeholders to strengthen quality of vital statistics. Notably, the MoH has adopted national strategy for health information and studies within the Sultanate Health Vision 2050 to ensure that the country’s HIS is meeting the national, regional, and global requirements for  reliable and timely health information.


The meeting further reviewed role of Information Technology in developing health data collection tools, in addition to the achievements made in this regard. A team from the Directorate General of Information Technology made an elaborated presentation on electronic systems on information applicable in the country.


As part of WHO’s efforts to strengthen national health information systems, WHO is supporting capacity-building to enhance the reporting of data. WHO is also developing appropriate modalities to assess national health information systems in a comprehensive way that supports Member States in improving such systems.


The WHO-EMRO delegation will be conducting field visits for three Governorates to assess the HIS; they are Muscat, Dhofar, and Al Batinah South. The delegation will be accompanied by MOH team form DHPS.


These field visits would allow for a comprehensive independent assessment for the Sultanate’s current health information system of both MOH health institutions and others.  The assessment covers specialized health care hospitals and health centers, as well as private sector hospitals.


Moreover, the visiting delegation will meet essential partners in the HIS including the Directorate General for Civil Status at the Royal Oman Police, the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), Capital Market Authority, Oman College for Health Sciences, and the Oman Medical Specialties Board (OMSB).


Later, a two-day national workshop will be held in Muscat Governorate, that will bring together officials from the Ministry of Health and other relevant HIS stakeholders in the presence of WHO experts, with the purpose of coming up with recommendations to develop the system in the coming years.


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