Ministry of Health Conducts More Than 86,000 Surgeries in 2023

The total number of surgical operations conducted by the Ministry of Health in its institutions' operating rooms during 2023 stood at 86,955, including 39,976 that were performed for males and 46,979 for females. The ministry's 2023 annual health report showed that the number of hospitals in the Sultanate of Oman stood at 92 hospitals, including 7,691 hospitalization beds. This raised the number of beds per 10,000 people in 2023 to 14.9, compared to 14.7 in 2022. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health's expenditure during 2023 increased to more than RO 1 billion, up by 24.6 percent as against the 2022 figure, said the report. It showed that the largest increase in spending was due to ongoing development projects, including the establishment and expansion of many hospitals and other health institutions. According to the report, infant mortality rate went down to 8.5 deaths per 1,000 live births, compared to a rate of 8.8 in 2022. It explained that the mortality rate of children under five years of age decreased from 11.4 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022 to 10.8 in 2023, said the report. This resulted in a decrease in the rate of deaths during 2023, which stood at 1.7 deaths per 1,000 people, while the maternal mortality rate reached 19.9 deaths per 100,000 live births (among Omani mothers it was 17.5 deaths per 100,000 live births), according to the report. The report indicated that the total number of health institutions affiliated with the Ministry of Health until the end of 2023 stood at 265 health institutions, consisting of 50 hospitals (containing 5,024 beds), 21 health complexes and 194 health centres. To improve the quality of health services provided at all levels, the Ministry has expanded the number of health institutions and added many health services in these institutions, the report affirmed. Source: Oman News Agency