MUSCAT: Health indicators in the Sultanate of Oman have seen a notable advancement in recent years as the period between 2020 and 2024 witnessed a significant increase in medical revenues by 66.2 per cent in addition to a record increase in the Omanisation rate among doctors in Ministry of Health institutions, reaching 44 per cent.

The 2025 Health Statistics Report issued by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) showed a 50 per cent increase in the number of health facilities compared to 2020, reaching 2,384, including 94 government and private hospitals, a 12 per cent increase.

There has been an increase in the number of private pharmacies from 794 in 2020 to 1,177 in 2024, while the number of health centres and clinics in the public sector increased by 9 per cent. Al Dakhiliyah Governorate recorded the highest rate of change in the number of health facilities in both the public and private sectors, with a 77 per cent increase, while Al Buraimi Governorate had the lowest rate at 15 per cent.

Human Resources Indicators

The report indicated that the number of health workers in public and private health institutions increased to 71,180, 55 of whom were Omanis. The number of Omani doctors working in the private sector saw a whopping 142 per cent increase reaching 285 doctors in 2024, compared to 118 doctors in 2020.

The NCSI’s data indicates that the percentage of Omani doctors in the public health institutions reached 45 per cent of the total number of doctors, compared to 40 per cent in 2020. Omani nurses make up 47 per cent of the total workforce in both the public and private sectors while their percentage in the private sector was only 4 per cent.

Indicators witnessed an improvement in the ratio of doctors per 10,000 of the population in health institutions affiliated with the Ministry of Health from 12.9 to 13.7 during the same period. The Omanisation rate among doctors increased from 39 per cent to 44 per cent, while the Omanisation rate in government institutions not affiliated with the Ministry of Health decreased from 51 per cent to 48 per cent over the 2020-2024 period.

Expenses

The report showed that total health sector expenditures last year amounted to RO 1,083.9 million, compared to RO 954.1 million in 2020. Current expenditures registered RO 770.3 million, down from RO 948 million, while investment expenditures increased to RO 221.6 million, compared to just RO 22.1 million in 2020. Total expenditures for the health sectors, including the Ministry of Health, amounted to RO 6,109.7 million.

The report indicated that investment expenditures for the Ministry of Health made up 14.4 per cent of total government investment expenditures in civil ministries in 2024, compared to only 2 per cent in 2020. Government spending on the health sector increased by 14 per cent, including 71 per cent of current expenditures, in 2024.

Indicators showed that health revenues constituted 1.2 per cent of total government revenues in 2024, with medical revenues increasing by 66.2 per cent during the 2020-2024 period.

Foreign Trade

The report indicated that the value of exports and re-exports in the health sector amounted to RO 53.1 million, with exports falling by 6.4 per cent between 2020 and 2024, and re-exports declining by approximately 19 per cent. Conversely, the value of health imports increased to RO 345.2 million, a 20 per cent increase.

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