Directive to health staff in Oman for an extra hour’s work

MUSCAT: Medical staff at government health institutions could soon face an extra hour of work according to the ministerial decision issued by the Ministry of Health (MoH).
According to the Ministerial Decision 199/2016, regarding working hours of medical employees and medical assistants in government institutions (civilian and military), Article 1 states that those who are working in government health institutions (civilian and military) will work for eight hours per day and a minimum of 56 hours per week.
The decision is based on a Royal directive issued by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said in 2013.
Health establishments
“The rule is applicable to all government health establishments, such as hospitals, clinics and other health institutes,” said a source from MoH.
“The decision has been taken following the Royal directive, which was issued in 2013. The Minister of Health and representatives from the police, military and the university will meet to discuss the appropriate working time according to the second article,” said the source.
The source added that they will unanimously decide on the appropriate time to begin and finish work according to work conditions and issue a final decision upon agreement. “The date for the meeting has not yet been set, but it will be in the near future,” assured the source.
The decision will not affect the work hours of the ministry’s employees or the public health sector.