Structure of the Healthcare

The Ministry of Health is tasked with ensuring that the people of Oman have access to healthcare. This is made possible through directorates and departments that oversee and supervise healthcare in the sultanate. Healthcare services are offered at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. 

Primary and secondary level health care service is available in districts and regions through hospitals. Tertiary level healthcare includes specialized consultation and treatments available in national hospitals. Primary Healthcare is of priority and is offered to the population in a package that includes mental health services.

Financing Healthcare

The sultanate is providing universal health coverage that is free to the nationals and offered at subsidized rates to expatriates. Omanis are treated for free at all state-owned and run facilities, therefore there is no need for insurance.

Dhamani, an e-platform that is currently in the works, is an effort to support the Unified Health Insurance plan. The plan is expected to cover private sector employees and their dependents, visitors, and tourists. Upon deployment, the platform is expected to connect 1,700 healthcare service providers in the Sultanate. This platform seeks to cover at least five million people, including 2.5 million insured citizens and about 3.5 million visitors and tourists annually.

Investment Opportunities

Lucrative opportunities to invest in Oman include;:

• Health Insurance

• Pharmaceuticals

• Medical Training

Start Ups & Technology

• Wareed

• Clnix

Challenges

• The prevalence of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in the aging population remains a challenge to the sultanate.

• There are a limited number of skilled workers available to work in the healthcare facilities.

• There is high dependence on importation of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies rather than local manufacturing of the necessary pharmaceuticals.

Solutions

• The government should run public awareness campaigns to educate the population about maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

• PPPs should invest more funds to build and establish state-of-the-art medical training facilities to train more professionals and incentivize them.

• Oman’s Health Vision 2050 is focused on establishing local pharmaceuticals manufacturers to offset the high dependence on importation.