An expanded meeting between the World Health Organization (WHO) office in the Sultanate and the Ministry of Health was held on Wednesday at the Ministry’s headquarters. H.E. Dr. Ahmed Mohammed Al Saidi, minister of health presided over MOH side, while H.E. Dr. John Jabbour, WHO representative in Oman presided the WHO side.

Their Excellencies MOH Undersecretaries, MOH Advisor for Health Affairs, as well number of Directors General and senior officials from both sides attended the meeting.

At the beginning, the Health Minister stressed the key partnership of WHO in all the event and activities of the Ministry, along with the joint action in the COVID-19 Strategy.

Meanwhile, WHO representative valued the leading role of the His Excellency the health minister regionally and internationally, remarking on the Sultanate achievements in implementing WHO programs and contributions made to achieve 2023 vision (Health for all, by all)as well the Country Cooperation Strategy (CCS).

H.E. WHO representative indicated in his word that the Sultanate is increasingly attracting international and global health forums, not only for its hospitality and for being a neutral platform; it is rather due to its ability to review health best practices.

He further explained that the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health in the Sultanate enjoy an equal partnership. Oman has being enforcing its role in the agenda of global health; health diplomacy and regional health development whereby it’s ideal health system can be shared with other countries. Oman is also providing  training and technical support in the fields of public health laboratories, cold-chain vaccine, emergency management, as well offering other opportunities for technical exchange and fellowship support.

His Excellency affirmed that the organization is still willing to provide support and harmonize MOH priorities. Moreover, the organization's office in the Sultanate will implement many different activities through the country support plan 2020-2021.

Regarding COVID-19 pandemic response, H.E. Dr. John Jabbour stated that the technical team at the WHO office in Muscat has made great efforts to coordinate with the Ministry of Health by sharing technical materials and WHO guidelines, in addition to facilitating training processes to support pandemic preparedness in coordination with the Ministry’s various institutions.

Dr. Lamia Mahmoud - a public health expert at the World Health Organization office in the Sultanate presented a number of cooperation programs between the organization and the Ministry of Health. The most recent one was the establishment of a hotline to receive questions from women of reproductive age, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers in cooperation with the MOH’s Department of Women and Child Health, the United Nations Population Fund and Omani Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology. This initiative aims at providing advice and clinical counselling for targeted categories whose health conditions do not require them to visit health institutions amid COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Lamia Mahmoud added that  the current technical cooperation between the WHO and the Sultanate have yielded success in various domains including achievements in non-communicable diseases programs and leading initiatives, in addition to the vaccination programs that resulted  in complete eradication of a number of communicable diseases in the Sultanate, such as tuberculosis and poliomyelitis.

It is worth to mention that that the Sultanate formally joined the World Health Organization in 1970 and is a member in the United Nations specialized agencies that includes 194 members.  the current technical cooperation between the WHO and the Sultanate seeks to address non-communicable diseases by preventing and combating them, in addition to implementing a number of pioneering initiatives including patient safety, network of Healthy Cities, and strengthening national capacities for the development of International Health Regulations. Both sides are also working on the country cooperation strategy, as well as the sustainable development agenda2030, the WHO 13th General Programme of Work (GPW 13), and Vision 2023: Health for all by all in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Furthermore, the 2020-2021 biennial Programme for the WHO and MOH cooperation signed. This agreement is affirming the organization’s keen interest in supporting the Sultanate’s national policies, strategies and plans aligned along with the WHO’s Triple Billion Target of “promoting health, keeping the world safe, and serving the vulnerable” as articulated in WHO’s Thirteen’s General Programme of Work (GPW13). The key focus of the GPW13 is a measurable impact for people at the country level, aiming at improved quality of lives and protected health of people.