The Healthcare System in Oman: Organisation, Access for a Foreigner, Emergencies and Prevention

The Ministry of Health presents itself as the main authority responsible for providing care to the population of the sultanate. It defines national health policy, organises preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic services, supervises public and private establishments, issues licences to practitioners and private establishments, and oversees the manufacture, import, distribution and use of medicines. Its establishments are spread across all the governorates: hospitals, local hospitals, polyclinics, health centres and medical fitness centres.

France Diplomatie describes a gradually developing public network, with one public hospital per wilaya, private clinics and pharmacies for everyday needs, and more developed hospital facilities in Muscat. The Ministry says it encourages the private sector to contribute to the supply of care, while monitoring its compliance.

Health insurance for private-sector employees rests on the unified “Dhamani” health insurance policy, introduced by decision No. 34 of 2019: it provides that the employer supplies private health insurance to its employees. The International Labour Organization noted in December 2023 that the decision was in force but that, in practice, the system had not yet been made compulsory, a phased implementation having been announced from 2023. The Financial Services Authority, which regulates the insurance sector, publishes the policy’s current rules and timetable: the employment contract and the insured’s card specify each employee’s beneficiaries, ceilings and network of establishments.

The Labour Law adds a protection: when an employee is treated in a public or private hospital, the employer bears the cost of treatment, medicines and hospitalisation under the applicable conditions, without prejudice to the social protection law (International Labour Organization, December 2023). Non-Omani workers are also covered, at their employer’s expense, by a sick leave and maternity benefit branch managed by the Social Protection Fund, whose dates of application are announced by the Fund.

For residents without an employer-sponsor (retirees, freelancers, investors), cover is organised through international insurance or the CFE (the French social security fund for expatriates); the page on healthcare reimbursement in Oman details each situation. A foreign resident’s access to public establishments depends on their status and on the rates set by the Ministry; the establishment concerned states the conditions before the consultation. The French embassy reminds travellers that the French State does not cover health costs incurred abroad. There is no social security agreement between France and Oman (CLEISS, the French liaison centre for international social security): the Carte Vitale (the French health insurance card) gives no right to reimbursement on the spot.

Day to day, residents consult in the public health centres and polyclinics spread across the territory, or in the private clinics and pharmacies that France Diplomatie cites for everyday needs. It is useful to identify a general practitioner, a pharmacy and the hospital closest to home as soon as you arrive. An employee generally presents their insurance card; a freelancer or a retiree pays upfront and claims reimbursement from their insurer, with itemised invoices.

For a residence application, the Ministry of Health organises the medical examination: it is obtained through the online portal or the Sanad service centres, costs 30 OMR (40 OMR for jobs involving contact with food), remains valid for 30 days and is not required for children under 16 applying for a visit or residence visa.

The emergency number of the Royal Oman Police is 9999. France Diplomatie indicates one public hospital per wilaya and more developed hospital facilities in Muscat. In isolated areas, France Diplomatie recommends travelling with several vehicles and giving notice of your route, because the distance to a hospital can be considerable; it also points to flash floods in the wadis during severe weather.

France Diplomatie reminds travellers that it is imperative to hold an assistance contract or insurance covering all medical costs: the embassy can under no circumstances pay them. A contract that includes medical repatriation avoids paying high costs upfront; see the page on repatriation and assistance and the guide to how a medical repatriation works.

France Diplomatie points out that some medicines are not authorised in Oman and may give rise to a police investigation. A traveller who is on a treatment takes their prescriptions, preferably translated into English, and asks the Omani Ministry of Health in advance about the medicines concerned; the French embassy also publishes a sheet on importing medicines. The sheet advises against buying medicines in the street.

The Ministry of Health supervises the manufacture, import, distribution and use of medicines. For a long-term treatment, a stock for the length of the trip and a prescription written under the international non-proprietary name make it easier to continue the treatment on the spot.

The Labour Law protects the sick employee: the International Labour Organization notes an entitlement to 182 days of sick leave a year on production of a certificate, paid at 100% of salary for the first 21 days and then at decreasing rates. Maternity leave lasts 98 days, of which at most 14 days before the birth, and the father has seven days of paternity leave before the child reaches 98 days. A breastfeeding mother is entitled to a paid one-hour break a day for one year after maternity leave.

The employer must provide first aid; it designates a qualified nurse or contracts with a specialised institution when a workplace has more than 200 employees, and provides a rest area for women from 25 female employees. Work in direct sunlight is prohibited from 12:30 to 15:30 from 1 June to 31 August. These rules complement health insurance: they protect the employee’s pay and health, without replacing cover for care, which falls under the Dhamani policy or a supplementary contract.

France Diplomatie recommends being up to date with the vaccinations of the French schedule, notably against diphtheria, tetanus, poliomyelitis, whooping cough and measles. Depending on the conditions and length of the stay, it adds hepatitis A, and may recommend hepatitis B, typhoid fever and the mpox vaccine. It points to sporadic transmission of malaria (protection against mosquitoes and preventive treatment), the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (avoid contact with dromedaries and their products) and typhoid fever (water and food hygiene).

The recommended hygiene measures are simple: wash your hands regularly, drink bottled or boiled water, avoid raw food. The family doctor or an international vaccination centre adapts this advice to each profile before departure; the guide to the medical questionnaire and medical history helps you prepare your insurance file.