Oman bans health workers from resigning as Covid surges

Oman’s health authorities have stopped accepting resignations from medical workers until further notice as it tries to cut down its number of coronavirus cases.

Officials said the demands of the pandemic made the restriction necessary.

“In view of the current conditions of the pandemic, and what the indicators show of the accelerating rise in the number of cases infected with Covid-19 … it is decided to stop receiving resignation requests submitted by the occupants of medical and auxiliary medical posts from Omanis until further notice,” a memo sent to all hospitals in the sultanate said.

It did not give further details nor did it say how many medical workers had attempted to tender their resignations and been rejected, government hospital administration officers told The National.

Some Omani medical workers said they were under extreme pressure as hospitals fill with coronavirus patients.

“I tendered my resignation last week but it was rejected,” an Omani nurse in a government hospital told The National.

“It has been overwhelming for me in the past 60 days or so. Cases have been increasing and we are really stretched.”

The number of people taken to hospitals with Covid-19 increased by almost 60 per cent in April, the Ministry of Health said.

The total number of deaths increased from 108 in March to 343 in April.

Oman’s Human Rights Commission said the ban on resignations was legal.

“In a national emergency – which the pandemic is – the Omani government has the right to withhold resignations of civil servants who are deemed critical for a particular service for a limited period of time, until that emergency is lifted,” a spokesman told The National.

Ministry of Health officials were not available for comment.

Doctors said that despite the strain they were determined to continue.

“Some of us are near the breaking point,” one said.

“I am not surprised some of my colleagues want to resign.

“I also contemplated resigning in the past month, but I have changed my mind. I still want to go on helping people.

“It is a sacred job, and we must go on at all costs.”

In an effort to lower infection numbers, Oman is extending movement restrictions to between 7pm and 4am from May 8 until May 15.

This will replace the 9pm-to4am restrictions.

Oman yesterday reported 770 new coronavirus cases and nine deaths.