Muscat – The Ministry of Health (MoH) and World Health Organization (WHO) signed the Country Support Plan 2022-2023 on Wednesday.

The plan is an operational framework to implement the Country Cooperation Strategy 2021-2025 and support the Tenth Five-Year Plan 2021-2025 in MoH.

The Country Support Plan (CSP), also called Joint Bilateral Plan, was signed by H E Dr Hilal bin Ali al Sabti, Minister of Health, and Dr Jean Jabbour, WHO Representative to Oman, in the presence of several MoH undersecretaries and senior officials.

The plan includes several activities to be implemented during the new biennium. It has been developed at the central level by joint efforts between technical and administrative teams in the ministry and WHO country office, through which public health programmes in all MoH directorates have been supported.

The CSP is a key step in the planning process which ensures work at all organisational levels are sharply focused on making an impact to people’s lives.

The plan defines what the WHO Secretariat will deliver to support the country to achieve its priorities and results in line with implementing the 13th General Programme of Work (GPW 13) in support of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Country Cooperation Strategy demonstrates the professional and technical cooperation in response to the country’s needs and priorities to achieve its national health policies and health-related sustainable goals and targets.

H E Dr Fatma bint Mohammed al Ajmi, Undersecretary for Administrative, Financial and Planning Affairs in MoH, stressed that signing the CSP with WHO complements bilateral plans with the other international organisations.

H E Dr Fatma pointed out that the CSP consists of five strategic priorities, including programmes of universal health coverage, protecting people from health emergencies, promoting healthier lifestyles, accelerating and reinforcing the use of information technologies and data, and expanding cooperation between the sultanate and other countries in health diplomacy.

In addition, Dr Fatma informed these strategic goals will be achieved within the next five years, and that the CSP has been developed to clarify the expected results and direct outcomes which will be in focus in the next two years.

On his part, Dr Jabbour indicated that the operational plan is working to implement GPW13 to achieve the triple billion targets: 1bn more people benefitting from universal health coverage, 1bn more people better protected from health emergencies and 1bn more people enjoying better health and well-being.

Additionally, the operational plan is working to implement Eastern Mediterranean Region Vision 2023 (Health for All by All), the Tenth Five-Year Plan 2021-2025 and Oman Vision 2040, and the WHO transformational agenda.