Omanis to replace expat pharmacists

The Ministry of Health has issued a list of Omanis who will replace 42 expats in pharmaceutical positions

MUSCAT: More than 40 expats will be replaced by Omani citizens in pharmaceutical positions, the Ministry of Health (MoH) has announced. MoH issued a list of Omanis, who will replace 42 expats in pharmaceutical positions.

The jobs include 26 pharmacist positions, and 16 assistant pharmacist positions, in various health centres and hospitals across the country.

“The Omani pharmacists cho- sen must have a Bachelors’ degrees, and have an 8th degree within ministry ranking. The Omani assistant pharmacists chosen must have a Diploma, and have a 9th degree within ministry ranking. The individuals must also undergo an interview before being confirmed for the positions,” the statement said.

Official assignment of the individuals listed for the positions will be completed within two weeks of the statement’s issue, according to the ministry. The individuals listed will not be eli- gible if they work for any of the country’s administrative units, whether they are civil, or military, or security agencies.

More than 80 per cent of all job vacancies currently posted in Oman are for Omanis only, according to recruitment agencies, as nationals begin to reap the fruits of an Omanisation drive.

Data from the past two years show that nationals are being hunted by recruiters as companies seek to hit targets set by the government for hiring Omani staff.

The Omanisation programme has been operational since 1988 and aims to replace expatriate workers with skilled Omani nationals. Most government organisations, as well as oil and gas sector companies, have registered high Omanisation percentages of up to 90 per cent. However, sectors, such as construction still lag behind with single digit rates, according to officials.