MUSCAT -- Marking its consolidation in private healthcare, Badr al Samaa, which began operations in the Sultanate three years ago, is set to open the third full-fledged branch tomorrow in Sohar. Located near Sohar Globe roundabout, the new branch will be inaugurated by Sayyid Mohammed bin Ahmed Saeed al Busaidy, Wali of Sohar, in the presence of other dignitaries.
Incorporated in Saudi Arabia decades ago, Badr al Samaa now boasts of 300 doctors and 1,300 paramedical and support staff under its banner. The new branch in Sohar will be fully operational with 10 well-qualified doctors, paramedical and support staff. The branch will have specialties, including cardiology, urology, general medicine, gynaecology and obstetrics, general surgery, dermatology, orthopaedics, ENT, ophthalmology, dental surgery, radiology and pathology. Like other Badr al Samaa institutions, it will be functional round the clock.
This new venture in Sohar is in response to the overwhelming demand from the people of Batinah region and keeping their tradition, they will be offering service at the most affordable rates without compromising on quality and care, according to Abdul Latheef and P A Mohammed, the directors. "This is only a small step regarding our presence in Batinah region. A mega project is in the pipeline. Having acquired the land and submitted the proposal to the Ministry of Health to set up a super specialty hospital in Sohar, we are awaiting the final clearance from authorities," the directors added.
The hospital will have medical facilities and super specialties, including cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, urology, gastroenterology and neurology. "This will be a mega step hitherto unseen in the private health sector in Oman," the officials said. "This venture is going to be a great blessing for expatriates as well as nationals who seek medical care abroad for various reasons. Badr al Samaa renders treatment involving advanced facilities at economical rates," they added.
Badr al Samaa has always thrived on innovations. Three years ago, they pioneered the concept of 24-hour medical service in the polyclinic sector in the Sultanate. It was followed by other novelties like ICCU and acute cardiac care, spiral CT scan and recently Lithotripter.
With the setting up of an acute coronary care unit and facility for clot dissolving treatment (thrombolytic treatment), Badr al Samaa is offering a great help for heart attack victims.
The polyclinic is also equipped with a high-speed full body spiral (helical) CT scanner. This facility is made available for patients round the clock. The CT scan is a very useful investigation technique for diagnosing blood clots, bleeding and tumours in brain, cancers and tumours in various parts of the body. CT guided diagnostic procedures are performed with great accuracy and utmost care.
In honouring their commitment to the people of Oman, Badr al Samaa recently installed a state of the art fourth generation Seimen modularis Lithotriptor at their Ruwi branch. Known as Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL), it is the most successful non-surgical procedure to disintegrate kidney stones. It is an alternative to surgery for patients with kidney stones.
According to WHO, almost three per cent of the adult population is affected by kidney stones whereas this is more in Oman due to several factors like climate conditions, food habits and genetic predisposition. V T Vonodan, Director, added "that all these innovations were made possible because of the tremendous support received from the people of Oman. We owe our success to the guidance and help from the Ministry of Health."
By Ebby Chacko George
© Oman Daily Observer 2006
