IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH
Though long in the realm of the public health sector, tertiary care is slowly becoming a bigger part of the country's private health offerings.
To date, Oman's health sector has generally been in the hands of its government. Like most oil-rich nations of the GCC, Oman has long sought to provide free or heavily subsidized healthcare for both citizens and expats alike. However, private hospitals in Oman have slowly but surely been gaining ground, thanks in part to its large expat population. Their next step to continuing success is expanding and improving their tertiary care services, a segment traditionally managed by the public sector.
Oman's health system has not always been so rosy. Up until 1970, Omanis were served by only two hospitals, and the average life expectancy was 49.3 years. Starting with the reign of the late Sultan Qaboos, the Ministry of Health was established and has since set about at creating the infrastructure necessary to provide its citizens with free public health services. Today, Oman has 69 hospitals, providing the country with over 5,400 beds. More than 80% of its total health bill is footed by the ministry, with 2018 expenditures listed at OMR678.3 million. In spite of impressive public health offerings, Oman's private health businesses have managed to carve out a place for themselves in Oman's health sector.
With the way the health system in Oman is currently organized, the pharmaceutical and dentistry sectors are left almost entirely to the private sector. This is obvious when looking at the numbers of public versus private hospitals and clinics. In 2018, 25 private hospitals were recorded; latest confirmed figures (from 2015) say the amount of private doctors employed at these hospitals was 430, while private clinics and pharmacies employ nearly quadruple that amount (1,529, according to the same figures). Meanwhile, doctors in the government hospitals number 6,941.
Tertiary care, also known as in-patient care, makes up a large part of the public health bill. Some 47% of the state's health bill is for in-patient care, according to 2015 numbers. This number will only grow, as populations are living longer and health needs change. And in order to encourage competition in services, the government has begun introducing mandatory health insurance for expats, the people mainly receiving care from the private sector. And though personnel may be lacking, thanks to technological advances and investments being made, private hospitals may start taking a bigger share of tertiary care patients.
It has been no secret that IT advancements, specifically in IoT, big data analysis, and AI, will radically change how we receive health services. But besides changing the services themselves, these technologies have the ability to increase efficiency, thus cutting down on costs. As noted to TBY by Sadik Kodakat, Chairman of the Starcare Group, “Frost & Sullivan anticipate that operationalizing AI platforms across select healthcare workflows would result in a 10-15% gain in productivity in the next two to three years." Furthermore, tertiary care, which typically deals with complex health procedures and resulting long-term inpatient care, will improve with the use of these technologies, especially in cardiac surgeries, cancer management, plastic surgery, and palliative interventions. As the government pushes more people to use private sector options for this type of care, it will also help with costs and drive better care in the sector. K.P. Raman, Chairman of the Al Hayat International Hospital, told TBY, “When you do you high-volume work, your prices can be competitive without compromising on quality, which we intend to leverage so as to push tertiary care to higher standards."
The reality that Oman faces today is rising healthcare costs, thanks in part to today's health problems: while previous diseases treated relied on more immediate life-saving treatment, today's health concerns encompass more lifestyle diseases. The type of long-term treatment needed for these diseases (and their exponential growth in GCC countries) has increased costs of healthcare. “Private-sector involvement is becoming imperative to meet the rising demand for healthcare as well as to reduce the burden of cost on government finances," Kodakat explained in his TBY interview. It is with this in mind that the government is turning to the private sector to give Omanis and expats the care they need.
IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Focus: Future foreign policy
Friends to all, enemy to none
In championing the late Sultan Qaboos' non-interference foreign policy, the new ruler of Oman, Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, is determined to work for friendship and peace, justice and harmony, and coexistence and positive constructive dialogue.
read articleInterview
David Kalife, CEO, Oman Oil Marketing Company (OOMCO)
Despite Oman's fuel market slowing down, OOMCO increased its sales volume of lubricants by 36% in 2019 and is constructing a greenfield bunker terminal at the Port of Duqm. The company has transformed while growing its expertise in Marketing and Digital.
read articleInterview
Azzan Al Busaidi, CEO, Ithraa
Azzan Al Busaidi is an expert in competitiveness and economic growth. He was appointed CEO of Ithraa in 2019 after 17 years spent covering managerial roles in the organization. Al Busaidi was previously Ithraa's director general of planning and studies and is a strong advocate of the potential of digitization. He holds an MBA from the University of Strathclyde and a BSc in Economics from Sultan Qaboos University.
read articleInterview
Qais bin Mohammed Al Yousef, Minister of Commerce, Industry & Investment Promotion & Former Chairman, Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Private Omani companies will be able to benefit greatly from the Fourth Industrial Revolution by enhancing their local value-added strategies and upskilling the workforce.
read articleInterview
Tahir Bin Salim Bin Abdullah Al Amri, Executive President, Central Bank of Oman (CBO)
The Central Bank of Oman's job is to ensure there is adequate liquidity in the system and that banks remain robust and resilient to meet the credit requirements of all segments without undermining financial stability.
read articleB2B
Capital markets
CMA and MSM are supporting Vision 2040 by providing financing to government companies that intend to go public, financing expansion of existing and new IPOs, and widening the investors base in Oman by enhancing and developing the investment funds and insurance industries.
read articleInterview
Khalid Al Balushi, CEO, Khazaen Economic City
International investors and business owners can benefit from Khazaen Economic City's strategic location and its close proximity to the main gateways of the country to import, process, manufacture, distribute locally, and export their goods and services.
read articleFocus: Port 4.0
Destined for greatness
Investments in world-class infrastructure have generated huge rewards for Oman. The goal now is to leverage technology as a disruptive enabler, build human capacity across the public and private logistics sectors, and drive operational efficiencies to build an integrated logistics business environment that is benchmarked against the world's best.
read articleFocus: Gap in tourism services
All bases covered
An amalgamation of local companies and unique experiences in Oman has created an original flavor that is further differentiating Oman's tourism offering from other countries and in the process attracting scores of tourists from all across the world.
read articleB2B
Engineering design
Renardet Engineering Consultants and Design Unit Engineering are recognized experts in their fields. While the former is an international company strongly committed to excellent engineering consultancy services and environmental practices, the latter is an Oman-based team of architects and engineers that incorporates local culture and traditions.
read articleB2B
Construction materials
Oman's construction sector is facing a host of challenges, but Hempel Paints and Al Maha Ceramics are confident that a mix of forward-thinking business models, unique products, and strong government initiatives will help them through turbulent times and generate positive returns in the long run.
read articleInterview
Salim Razvi, CEO, Oman Academic Accreditation Authority (OAAA)
Focusing on higher education institutional accreditation, program accreditation, and the updating and maintaining of the Oman Qualifications Framework, OAAA is helping further advance higher education in the Sultanate.
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