Tuesday 02 / July / 2024
Muscat: Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Sa’eedi, Minister of Health, said that His Majesty Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik is in close contact to get firsthand knowledge about the health situation in the Sultanate in view of coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
The Omani government, led by His Majesty the Sultan, accords a great attention to all aspects of life in the county, including the performance of health, economic and financial sectors, among other domains, said Dr. Ahmed as he addressed the second press conference held by the Supreme Covid-19 Control Committee.
The press conference saw the participation of Dr. Saif bin Said Al Ma’amari, Education Minister’s Adviser (who also acts as In-charge of Tasks of the Education Ministry’s Under-Secretary for Educational Planning and Human Resources Development), Brig. Said bin Suleiman Al Aasmi, Director of Operations at Royal Oman Police, and Dr. Saif bin Salim Al Abri, Director-General of Disease Surveillance and Control at the Ministry of Health.
He pointed out that the percentage of infected patients varies from one country to another and has nothing to do with treatment.
The Minister of Health reaffirmed that treatment from coronavirus is offered free of charge to all expatriate patients. He urged ambassadors of other countries in the Sultanate to convey this message to their respective citizens to encourage the infected ones to seek medical assistance. He stressed that there will be no mix-up between the legal and curative aspects in the event of expatriate manpower. He explained that no infected expatriate will be asked to show his/her type of residency during diagnosis.
In reply to a question, the Minister of Health said that the virus keeps spreading and that nothing so far indicates its decline. On the contrary, the virus projectile is still on the rise and might peak mid-April, affirmed the Minister.
The Minister emphasised that spending on the health sector cannot be considered a waste, but an investment, and that the post-corona world will never be the same, particularly in the health sector. This pandemic, he said, proved that health security is by no means less significant than food security or political security.
Diagnostic solutions are fairly plentiful in the Sultanate, which are set to receive more quantities of such solutions, said the Minister of Health, pledging that, accordingly, diagnosis process will be expanded, definitely free of charge for all.
In other comments, the Minister referred to an active shuttle of flights to bring medical requirements and repatriate citizens to the Sultanate. However, normal air traffic is not likely to be resumed soon via Muscat International Airport due to the current global health crisis.
The Sultanate has embarked in manufacturing its own logistical health gadgets and other requirements, said the Minister, reaffirming measures to protect frontline health workers.
Meanwhile, Dr. Saif Al Ma’amari said that the Ministry of Education has set up an online platform that defied all challenges, so far, and constitutes a cornerstone for future school networks. Plans are under way in coordination with the Higher Education Admission Centre, said Al Ma’amari, adding that the current situation does not prompt a “rush to announce any specific method of assessment of students”, given the unstable health scenario.
In these circumstances of suspension of study, the Education Ministry is embarked on searching alternatives, said Al Ma’amari, confirming that solutions will serve the interest of students in a manner that secures their educational future. He thanked school administrations for removing obstacles that students meet while accessing the educational portal/platform.
Dr. Saif Al Abri said that, among the Sultanate’s wilayats, Muttrah is witnessing the greatest proportion of community-based contraction of Covid-19 infection, as 31 out of 38 cases registered last Thursday occurred in Muttrah.
Thanks to a proper epidemiological probe, the Ministry of Health now knows the source of most of the Covid-19 cases, said Al Ma’amari, adding that health establishments are so far capable of handling the situation, that the epidemiological cline is stable and that the pandemic is under control.
Al-Ma’amari said that new Covid-19 diagnostic measures will be unveiled over the next two weeks. He added that infections are discovered in students returning from abroad who are now undergoing institutional isolation.
Brig. Said Al Aasmi said that, due to announced lockdown of Muscat, command and control checkpoints will be set up and that instances of entry of individuals to Muscat will be very limited. He called all members of the public to understand and respect the lockdown order, adding that minimizing individuals’ movement around the governorate will ease the transportation of foodstuff to their destinations.
