Muscat - The important features of the new healthcare regulations, effective February 10, are attracting highly qualified medical personnel and ensuring pay parity among Omani and expatriate healthcare professionals, H E Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Obaid al Saeedi, the Minister of Health said on Wednesday.
He was addressing the media on the guidelines, formed following the Royal Decree 33/2013 issued on May 19, 2013, and which cover medical and ancillary medical groups in military and civil institutions.
"We expect that the regulations will help bring in highly qualified healthcare professionals and thereby improve the country's health services," H E Dr Saeedi said.
"The regulations have not discriminated between Omani and expatriate medical staff," he said. They also standardise pay as per expertise, experience and nature of the job across all government hospitals. "The healthcare sector should have all the incentives to attract qualified practitioners," the minister said.
Quoting World Health Organization (WHO) figures to emphasise his point, the minister said that there is a global shortage of 5mn medical staff, including doctors and assisting staff.
Dr Abdullah Rashid al Aasmi, director general of the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, said, "It is not only a matter of numbers. It is a matter of bringing the best medical staff."
Dr Mazin Jawad al Khabouri, advisor in the Minister of Health's Office, said that as Saudi Arabia is building around 20 medical cities "there is competition to attract the best from around the world".
H E Dr Saeedi said that special teams from the Ministry of Health (MoH) will go to governorates to explain the new regulations to medical staff.
Talking about the need to hone national expertise, he said that 656 members from MoH's medical and administrative staff have been sent abroad for training; 400 more will be sent by year-end.
He also pointed out that Omanisation in the healthcare sector has not exceeded 30 per cent. Oman ranks third in GCC after Bahrain and Kuwait in hiring medical staff.
The regulations were formed following proposals from and consultations with MoH, Diwan of Royal Court, ROP, SQU Hospital. "They were reviewed by the Ministry of Legal Affairs," H E Dr Saeedi said.
© Muscat Daily 2014
