‘More research needed to understand patient experiences’

“Last September, the establishment of the first WHO Collaborating Centre in the Sultanate of Oman was designated specifically for this – quality and patient safety – which is focused on research and training for the workforce, not only in Oman, but also to support building quality care systems in the countries of the region,” explained Magtymova. “For example, I can cite a recent collaboration of Oman with Pakistan in this regard.” She explained: “Oman is a country that respects diversity and to meet the required density and population needs in health care, some proportion of qualified medical workforce are expatriates. More research is needed to understand patient experiences and perception of quality from the users’ perspective.” Adding to this, Lana Al Wreikat, the UNICEF representative to Oman, said that children and women had always been considered a priority in the country’s healthcare system, because they were seen as its future.

“With women and children seen as the pillars of Omani society, the primary health care (PHC) package was included in Oman’s Health Vision 2050,” said the UNICEF representative. “This package provides for many necessities that women and children need, including the promotion of healthy and balanced nutrition, maternal health care, child health care, immunisation, school health and mental, eye and oral health among many other facets.

“Oman’s previous decades of investment in its institutional capacities for effective stewardship and governance of the health workforce agenda led to a number of improvements in health services and consequently, impressive gains in child health and survival with a drop in infectious childhood diseases. The infant mortality rate and the under-five mortality rate for Oman are respectively 11 and nine per 1,000 live births, a fraction of the MENA regional averages, which are 24 and 20 per 1,000 live births respectively. In maternal health, Oman has achieved universal coverage of antenatal care and institutional delivery services and near universal coverage of post-natal care services.”

In this context, Dr Ahmed Said Al Busaidi, a consultant family physician in Oman, spoke about how more health workers helped improve medical care because stress in clinics could harm both patients and the doctor.

“Every doctor should give his or her patient the right amount of time, taking a look at his medical record and scheduling the needed tests,” he added.

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