Muscat – The Ministry of Health (MoH) has introduced a new self-service medical fitness examination in an effort to combat counterfeiting and streamline processes.

The service was inaugurated at COMEX 2023 by H E Said Hamoud al Mawali, Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, and H E Dr Fatma Mohammed al Ajmi, MoH Undersecretary for Administrative, Financial & Planning Affairs, at Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre on Wednesday.

The service caters to entrepreneurs, individuals seeking to employ expatriate workers, and private sector hospitals and centres providing medical examination services. Applicants can now register for the ‘Medical fitness examination system for residency’ through MoH’s E-health portal or Sanad offices.

The service will be electronically linked with various authorities, including Royal Oman Police (ROP), the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, and the Health Council of GCC states.

Highlighting the convenience of the service, Wissam Mohammed Abu Daraz, Director of Electronic Health Department at MoH’s Directorate General of Information Technology, said it will enable residents and companies to easily access medical examination results required for initial visa applications, and new and renewal of resident cards.

“The service aims to enhance transparency, reduce counterfeit reports, and save time and effort by establishing electronic integration with ROP.”

Daraz further added that the range of services offered include medical examination for technical teams and sailors, expatriates applying for residency and residency renewal, new or renewal of family visas, student visas, and obtaining new or renewing health cards.

Dr Mohammed Said al Yazidi, Director of Occupational and Environmental Health in the Directorate General for Disease Surveillance and Control, emphasised the significance of the service in effectively monitoring, managing and controlling disease while obtaining vital data and statistics.

“It also simplifies procedures for citizens, residents and companies to obtain medical examination reports, ensuring transparency and reducing fraud,” Dr Yazidi said.