Home Ambulance service launched in Oman

Muscat: Muscat:  To provide aid to people in critical condition and shift them to the nearest hospital, a home ambulance service has been launched by Oman’s Civil Service and Ambulance Authority (CDAA).

As part of the first stage of implementation, the ambulance service will be rolled out across governorates with lesser population density before being expanded to other areas under an already agreed upon timetable.

People who require emergency medical assistance can call the Royal Oman Police emergency hotline number (9999) or the CDAA’s operations centre (2434-6666), following which a team of paramedics will be dispatched to provide urgent medical assistance.

The paramedics are also capable of dealing with medical conditions of an advanced nature.

Some of the most common conditions the home ambulance service is expected to tackle are critical respiratory diseases, heart conditions, severe injuries, fractures, sudden loss of consciousness, sudden general and partial paralysis, severe bleeding and pain, ailments related to the nervous system, severe electric shocks, poisoning, mental disorders, drowning, childbirth (including those involving complications) and severe burns.

The setting up of the home ambulance service comes in the wake of Royal Decree No. 39/2021, said Col. Dr. Hamad bin Abdullah Al Hamadi, the Director General of Ambulance Services.

“This is among the new services provided by the authority,” he said. “We consider it to be an important addition and an effective, supportive and complementary contribution to the health sector in Oman in terms of providing emergency medical care to patients before they are transferred to healthcare centres.

“This service provides critically injured patients as well as others the required emergency care before transferring them to a healthcare centre while following the necessary protocols,” he added.

“These practices are approved by the medical governance system. We also have the medicines that are required during emergencies.”

The ambulance services are to be initially made available across six governorates: Musandam, Al Buraimi, Al Dhahirah, Al Wusta, South Al Sharqiyah and North Al Sharqiyah through the existing medical centres. This service will be expanded in accordance with an approved plan.