A total of nine MoUs were signed between Oman LNG and Ministry of Health under which Oman LNG offered RO 1.5 million to support health sector in Oman. The signatories to the MoUs were Dr Darwish bin Saif al Mahrabi, Under-Secretary for Administrative and Financial Affairs at the Ministry of Health and
Dr Brian Denis Buckley, General Manager and Chief Executive of Oman LNG.
The fund will equip seven hospitals and medical institutes, including Jalan Bani Bu Ali Hospital, Royal Hospital, Ibra Hospital, Ibra, Institute of Nursing, Sultan Qaboos Hospital in Salalah, Khoula Hospital and Sur General Hospital with some cutting-edge medical technologies and infrastructures.
Terming the Oman LNG’s initiative as unique, Dr Darwish said the nature of all the agreements were core health business, education and training and the agreements focused primarily on promoting the health services sector.
Dr Buckley termed this to be a partnership with the Ministry of Health to boost one of the most important sectors in the country under the company’s corporate social responsibility. (CSR). He said: “The goal here is to contribute towards country’s development especially to provide people with quality healthcare through our partnership with Ministry of Health. Supporting the health sector has been always on our top priority, so that will eventually make the medical centres and hospitals ready to support the country’s growth and aspirations.”
At Jalan Bani Bu Ali Hospital, Oman LNG will finance various medical devices comprising of mobile X-Ray machine, transport incubators with ventilator, physiotherapy equipment and 20 patient monitors for RO 110,000. This will enable the hospital to accommodate more patients. With new machines, the patients can be diagnosed and treated at Jalan Bani Bu Ali Hospital itself and they would no longer have to travel to Sur General Hospital or Muscat for further treatment.
For the Royal Hospital, the company allocates RO 59,883 for the upgrading of tumours detection device at the hospital, along with upgrading related machines such as Ultra Sound and PACS monitors. The upgrading will result on a huge impact on patients care, as it will decrease the time needed to get diagnosed and, therefore, start the treatment ahead by one month. Commencing the treatment by a month earlier will reduce anxiety, stress, and improve the outcomes.
In Ibra, the company will fund three projects for a total amount of RO 147,000. The first two projects will go towards setting up the gastrointestinal endoscopy unit, and equipping the knee joint arthroscopy unit at Ibra Hospital. Both projects will result on decreasing the referral cases to the specialist hospitals in Muscat and allow an immediate intervention for emergency cases.
Ibra Nursing Institute will get simulation laboratory with equipment to increase students’ awareness on executing different nursing activities.
At Sultan Qaboos Hospital in Salalah, Oman LNG will partner with the hospital to deliver its plan on catering for more kidney suffering patients and significantly reducing the long-time appointments. In this partnership, the company will equip the newly expanded Dialysis Unit with 11 Fresenius Dialysis Machines (Kidney Wash) for
RO 144,000.
Dr Khalid al Mishiki, DG of Health Services in Dhofar, said: “The dialysis unit at Sultan Qaboos Hospital accommodates patients from the entire Dhofar Governorate. Roughly, more than 100 patients come to the dialysis unit for kidney wash, and they will benefit from such donation. With this support from Oman LNG, we will have more machines ready and available to cater for more patients whose illness is very time-critical”.
A major share of the agreements went to Khoula Hospital, the Sultanate’s premier Emergency and Accidents hospital, where Oman LNG will invest RO 570,000. Oman LNG will fund the hospital on procurement of beds and laparoscopies, which will help the hospital on catering for more patients and this would reflect on the services given to the patients.