The Sultanate of Oman represented by the Ministry of Health has been awarded a Certificate of Honor within the ‘Leadership and Management Excellence Award’ category at the 2026 International Hospital Federation (IHF) Awards, for its participation in the Patient Experience project. This was announced during the 49th IHF World Hospital Congress, hosted this year in Seoul, Republic of Korea.
This recognition comes as a tribute to the Ministry of Health’s efforts in improving the patient experience and elevating the quality of health services at the country’s level.
Dr. Abeer Abdullah Al-Mamari, Head of the Patient Experience Project Team, received the certificate. The awards committee for this year received more than 750 submissions from 38 countries, distributed across eight categories, and were judged by 62 international experts. This specific accolade adds particular value, reflecting the fruit of national efforts to improve the quality of healthcare.
In her speech on this occasion, Dr. Al-Mamari emphasized that the Patient Experience project is based on a pivotal concept: that the patient and their family are partners in planning the healthcare provided, developing it, and adapting it to ensure it meets their needs.
She added that the project has constituted a qualitative shift in the philosophy of healthcare in the Sultanate of Oman over the past years. It has moved from a focus on service delivery to adopting an approach that places the patient experience at the heart of healthcare development. Measuring patient satisfaction has led to a focus on continuous improvement, resulting in tangible achievements. These include developing patient pathways across various health institutions, enhancing communication between medical staff and patients and their families, empowering patients to be active partners in evaluating and developing services, and fostering a culture of innovation and continuous improvement at the levels of directorates general and health institutions.
She pointed out that the significance of this certificate lies in its issuance by the International Hospital Federation, particularly in the Leadership and Management category, which recognizes the ability of health institutions to create institutional impact and achieve tangible results. She noted that the Ministry receiving this recognition confirms that the Omani experience in the field of patient experience has become internationally recognized, thereby enhancing Oman's position on the global healthcare map.
The head of the Patient Experience project team stated that while the certificate holds moral value, its true worth lies in representing a continuous professional journey towards establishing human-centered care, enhancing partnership with the patient, and making the patient experience a primary criterion for measuring the quality of health services and developing them. She affirmed that the Omani experience has proven that investing in the patient experience is not a luxury, but rather a strategic choice to build a more efficient and sustainable health system that keeps pace with the best global practices, thereby strengthening the path of sustainable development in the health sector.
