Ministry of Health issues poisoning management guidelines

Muscat: The Ministry of Health (MOH), represented by the Directorate General of Diseases Surveillance and Control (DGDSC), the Environmental and Occupational Health Department, launched at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Tuesday the National Management Guidelines of Poisoning under the patronage of Dr. Darwish bin Saif Al Muharbi, MoH Undersecretary for Administrative and Financial Affairs.
The launching ceremony followed by a clinical workshop, which highlighted the impact of poison control centres on health service, the management of Acetaminophen/ Paracetamol overdose, management of pesticide poisonings, iron toxicity, management of cardiac drug overdose...etc. Around 120 medical cadres working in the emergency field from different government hospitals attended.
The guidelines cover various topics concerning the treatment methods of drug poisoning, as well as poisoning cases of snakes and scorpion bites, some aquatic organisms and poisonous plants. The guidelines also provide an overview of the toxicity of some chemicals found in the houses.
Dr. Saif bin Salim Al Abri, DGDSC Director General clarified that preparation of these guidelines has continued for three-year of effort and joint work between all the specialists from various health institutions in the Sultanate. He also added that the guidelines have been reviewed by the Middle East and North Africa Association of Toxicology (MENATOX), as well as the specialists from the Emory University in the USA.
The DGDSC Director General stated that “We are proud that Sultanate of Oman is one of the first countries in establishing a national poisoning control center. Establishment of this center comes at a time of challenges in the Middle East region including the armed conflicts, increasing the number of displaced population and the political climate in many parts of the region, which increased the potential impact of chemicals, toxins and radioactive material to the health of our societies”. Dr. Al Abri pointed out that the National Management Guidelines of Poisoning is an important step in achieving the institutional work and medical practice based on the scientific evidence in order to be a reference for the health workers in the fields of emergency and primary health care.
Prof. Ziad Kazzi, MENATOX President praised the Sultanate’s positive step in establishing a specialized center for toxicology. He added that existence of such center in the Sultanate will raise the awareness about poisoning among the community members and improve its treatment mechanisms when it happens.