BABY BOOM AS OMAN GROWS

The birth rate in Sohar has shot up from around 4,000 a year to almost 10,000 a year

Massive economic expansion plans and the move away from oil have led to a huge increase in the annual birth rate in some areas of Oman, according to a senior Ministry of Health official. In just a few years, the birth rate in Sohar, for example, shot up from around 4,000 a year to almost 10,000 a year, as more job opportunities meant men were staying at home rather than leaving in search of work.

Dr Mazin Al Khabouri, Director-General of Private Health Establishments at the Ministry of Health, said the government was taking steps to address the baby boom, and that even where there were only 300 people in a remote Omani village, their health needs would be fully addressed.

The Sultanate’s residents and citizens would always be provided the best and most affordable healthcare facilities, he said.

As Oman’s key towns of Sohar and Duqm geared up to power the Sultanate’s ambitious future policies, the Ministry of Health was ensuring that the healthcare received by thousands of energetic and enthusiastic Omanis and expats did not lag behind.

“The port city of Sohar is booming and the birth-rate has gone sky-high,” said Al Khabouri. “This rate has gone up over the last few years, and we have noticed it since Sohar port came up,” he said.