A virtual Tri-Regional High-Level Policy Dialogue on ‘International Mobility of Health Professionals’ commenced on Tuesday with the participation of the World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (WHO/EMRO), WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO/ EURO), and the WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia (WHO/SEARO). 

The sultanate, represented by the Ministry of Health (MoH), took part in the event with a delegation headed by H E Dr Fatima al Ajmi, Undersecretary for Administrative, Financial and Planning Affairs in the ministry.

The two-day meeting, themed ‘New Challenges, Shared Solutions’, aims to review data and trends related to the international flow of health personnel across the three regions of WHO. It further seeks to identify opportunities for strengthening legal and institutional framework and international cooperation across the member states of the three regions to better manage international health workers’ mobility to be consistent with the WHO Global Code of Practice on International Recruitment of Health Personnel.   

Additionally, the Tri-Regional High-Level Policy Dialogue aims at discussing challenges, opportunities, policy responses and innovations in the three WHO regions with respect to ethical international recruitment. 

The event will highlight employment of foreign health workers, and ways to harness the contribution of diaspora health workers particularly during the current COVID-19 pandemic.   

Dr Halima Qalam, acting director general of planning and studies in MoH, will present a working paper outlining the sultanate’s experience in dealing with non-Omani health workers of various specialties in the virtual meet.