Muscat – The Ministry of Health (MoH) has released its Annual Health Report for 2023, presenting important health trends and developments across the sultanate. The comprehensive report covers critical health indicators and provides an overview of the country’s healthcare infrastructure, workforce and service utilisation.

The report indicates an increase in hospital admissions – more than 302,000 in 2023, an increase of 2.6% compared to 2022. The average length of stay also increased to 3.5 days per patient taking total bed occupancy to 65.1%.

There was also a notable increase in number of visits to outpatient clinics – 15.3mn, up 2.7% from 2022. The average number of visits per Omani individual to outpatient clinics was 5.0 visits, while the number of x-rays performed increased 9.5% to approximately 1.8mn.

MoH performed a total of 86,955 surgical procedures in 2023 – 39,976 on males and 46,979 on females.

Eleven liver, 19 kidney and 20 cornea transplants were also performed.

The annual report shows a decline in crude birth rate, dropping from 15.7 per thousand population in 2022 to 13.8 in 2023. Infant mortality rate decreased from 8.8 deaths per thousand live births in 2022 to 8.5 in 2023. However, maternal mortality increased to 19.9 deaths per 100,000 live births, up from 17.1 in 2022.

Reflecting improvements in overall health and healthcare services in the sultanate, life expectancy rose to 78.3 years.

H E Dr Hilal bin Ali al Sabti, Minister of Health, highlighted MoH’s collaborative efforts with government and private agencies. “These efforts focus on developing the health system, integrating services, implementing unified procurement of medicines, and reviewing health policies and strategies,” H E Dr Sabti said.

Health institutions affiliated with MoH include 50 hospitals offering a total of 5,024 beds, 21 health complexes and 194 health centres providing comprehensive services across the governorates. The report noted significant progress in controlling infectious diseases, with cases of measles reducing to 25 in 2023. Oman has maintained its polio-free status since 1993, with no cases of diphtheria or neonatal tetanus since 1992.

However, there has been a rise in dengue fever cases – 2,711 in 2023 up from 1,989 in 2022. MoH is actively working with relevant authorities to address this by focusing on controlling Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, the primary vector of the disease.

At the end of 2023, MoH reported an increase in its workforce. There were 6,117 doctors, 876 pharmacists and 16,000 nurses, taking the total workforce to over 39,500. Omanisation rate stood at 71%.

The total number of doctors in the sultanate increased to 9,933, while nurses working in various institutions numbered 22,130. This translated to 19.2 doctors and 42.8 nurses per 10,000 people nationwide, compared to 19.1 doctors and 43.1 nurses per 10,000 people in 2022.

MoH has invested in professional development of its personnel by sending employees abroad to enhance their medical, paramedical and technical skills, and facilitating participation in scientific seminars and training courses. In 2023, 47 employees pursued studies in various paramedical and technical fields, and 75 doctors engaged in further studies.