​Congenital defects cause 185 deaths in 2017

Muscat: Congenital defects are one of the main causes of death across various governorates of the Sultanate. However, North Al Batinah registered the highest mortality rate with 20 per cent of total deaths caused by the disorder.

According to data revealed by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), North Al Batinah Governorate recorded the highest number of deaths due to birth defects in 2016 and 2017, accounting for 20.6 per cent and 20 per cent respectively among all the governorates of the Sultanate.

Officials also revealed that in 2017 across Oman, the number of deaths due to congenital defects decreased and reached 185, when compared to 2016 where the total number of deaths were 189