Oman's OCCI discuss challenges faced by private health institutions

Muscat: The Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) on Sunday discussed the challenges faced by the private health institutions in the country.

The meeting decided to raise with concerned authorities the issue of not allowing pharmacies in the same building in which a private health institution is located. The pharmacy is expected to be at least 100 meters away from any healthcare institution.

It also discussed the recent changes to the Article 11 of the Foreigners’ Residence Law – under which expatriate employees in the Sultanate are not required to obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from their existing employer to change jobs within Oman – and its impact on the private health sector.

The health committee of OCCI held its third meeting for the current year, headed by Redhawks Jumaa Al Saleh, chairman of OCCI and the health committee.

A mini-committee was formed to coordinate with the Ministry of Health represented by the General Directorate of Private Health Institutions to make the necessary controls on the subject.

The meeting discussed the names of pharmacies and health institutions and their specializations, and the extent to which the name matches the sector. The committee will also contribute to the study that will determine prices for health services through insurance companies.

Al Saleh urged the members to focus on the health insurance project which will be rolled out under the supervision of the Capital Market Authority (CMA) with the participation of the OCCI and other competent agencies.