Muscat – According to the Ministry’s annual health report for the year 2022, the number of visits to outpatient clinics at health institutions reached to about 14.9 million, with about 41,000 visits per day; while the total discharge from inpatient departments reached about 295,000 patients, with a bed occupancy rate of 59.6 percent.
Report also stated that the year 2022 witnessed a decline in the crude birth rate, reaching 15.7 live births per thousand, compared to 20.7 in 2015. Infant mortality rate also decreased from 9.5 deaths per thousand live births in 2015 to 8.8 during the year 2022. The report showed a decrease in the maternal mortality rate as well, reaching 17.1 deaths per 100,000 live births for the same period.
The report indicated that the rate of infectious diseases decreased to low levels due to the existence of immunization program, especially for young people. It also pointed out that 12 people donated kidneys and 10 donated livers, and more than 79,000 different surgical operations were performed.
About 37.9 percent of outpatient morbidity was due to infectious diseases, while non-communicable diseases represented 43.5 percent; the number of cases sent abroad for treatment rose to 1,040.
The report explained that 11,600 cases of injury in outpatient clinics and emergency departments were due to traffic accidents and the number of deaths reached 188.
Despite the decrease in the Ministry of Health’s recurring expenses in 2022 by more than 3 percent, compared to 2015, the Ministry is striving to strengthen primary and specialized health care programs as well as preventive and rehabilitative health care.
The report noted that the total workforce in the health sector reached about 59,000, with an Omanisation rate of 71 percent – some job categories saw the percentage reaching 95 or more. It also revealed the Ministry’s efforts to contain measles, as only 5 cases were recorded in 2022 – no cases were recorded during 2020 and 2021.
A decrease in the incidence of hepatitis was also recorded, with Oman remaining free of polio since 1993, diphtheria since 1992 and neonatal tetanus since 1992.
The report, however, indicated a significant increase in dengue fever, with cases reaching 1,989 cases, owing to which the Ministry is cooperating with the relevant authorities to combat the Aedes mosquito (the carrier of this disease).
The report shows the Ministry’s efforts to maintain the health of school students, as 98 percent of first and second grade students underwent oral and dental examinations. The report also indicates that the Ministry’s efforts in student immunizations, which reached about 100 percent.
Statistical data for patients admitted to hospitals affiliated with the Ministry of Health indicate that about 13 out of every 10,000 residents were hospitalized due to ischemic heart disease during the year 2022; 7 out of every 10,000 residents due to febrile infectious diseases (including Covid-19), and 6 out of every 10,000 residents hospitalized due to diabetes and about 2 out of every 10,000 residents due to high blood pressure.
The report showed a decrease in the number of deaths in hospitals affiliated with the Ministry of Health during the year 2022 (4,287 deaths) compared to the year 2021 (6,110 deaths) – a decrease of 29.8 percent.
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