Muscat – As part of its efforts to detect non-communicable diseases (NCDs) early, the Ministry of Health (MoH) on Sunday started a new health service for citizens over 35 years of age.

The new service is part of a programme called ‘Afhas ad Atman’ or ‘Check and Rest Assured’.
A statement issued by MoH said, ‘The ministry will provide a new preventive health service to citizens who have completed 35 years of age, starting from January 1. The service aims to detect chronic diseases such as diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and obesity.’

The service will include conducting medical tests, such as checking lipids, urine, glucose, and measuring blood pressure. ‘The ministry will set a treatment plan for the patient after the medical results,’ it added.

The ministry urged citizens to go to the nearest health centre for check-ups and reduce the risk of chronic diseases.

Non-communicable diseases are a major public health concern worldwide and in Oman too, attributing to 72 per cent of deaths in the sultanate.

Despite the considerable progress made in the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, the prevalence of NCDs continues to rise, leading to significant social and economic burdens due to morbidity, untimely deaths of those living with NCDs, and the cost of health services needed for treating NCDs, according to MoH.

In combatting the NCDs epidemic, surveillance plays a fundamental role and is a key constituent of evidence-based public health decision-making and assessment of public health interventions.

The ministry has developed the ‘National NCD Monitoring and Evaluation Framework on NCD’ aligned with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Monitoring Framework for NCDs and the National Action Plan on NCDs.

‘This aims to provide a valid and reliable method to measure achievements, assess performances, and reflect changes associated with the introduction and upscaling of public health policies and interventions,’ the ministry stated.