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MONDAY, JANUARY 4, 2016
OMAN
Around 70 per cent of the violations are related to patient’s safety and infection control Dr Hamood Al Harthy, Head of section, Directorate of Evaluation and Licensing
Dental clinics in Sultanate under scanner to ensure ‘best services’ the inspections are scheduled while some are carried out unannounced. The surprise checks are actually preferred as most of the violations are caught during such checks.
Inspections start as soon as an application is made to open a clinic and continue throughout the life of the clinic, a top Ministry of Health official said Dr Hamood Al Harthy. — Supplied picture
elham@timesofoman.com
Directorate General of Private Health Establishments (DGPHE).
MUSCAT: Private dental clinics in Oman are under constant supervision to ensure best services and care for the patients, an official at the Ministry of Health (MoH) has said. Inspections start as soon as an application is made to open a clinic and continue throughout the life of the clinic, said Dr Hamood Al Harthy, head of section, Directorate of Evaluation and Licensing of Private Health Establishments,
Initial approval “When an application is made for obtaining a licence, it is sent to a special committee for initial approval. Then, the DGPHE follows as per a step-by-step procedure before issuing a license for the facility and the healthcare professionals,” Al Harthy, who is a specialist in dental surgery, told the Times of Oman. A primary inspection is done and the applicant has to meet all
ELHAM POURMOHAMMADI
the requirements and provide all information related to the facility and the staff, the official said. He added that the directorate general works closely with the municipalities, the Ministry of Manpower, the Royal Oman Police (ROP) and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry when it comes to issuing a permit. According to the latest statistics, around 737 dentists and specialists are working at about 500 private dental clinics in the Sultanate. Al Harthy noted that some of
Patient’s safety “Around 70 per cent of the violations are related to patient’s safety and infection control,” he added. Asked if the directorate general also supervises the prices of dental healthcare services at clinics, the official said that it mainly falls within the ambit of the responsibilities of the Public Authority for Consumer Protection. “We do not get involved unless there is a huge disparity between the services and the prices,” Al Harthy explained. ‘Reasonable’ costs The official said in his opinion, the dental care services in Oman are priced at a ‘reasonable’ level in general though it depends on the service provider, location of the clinic and some other factors. He stated that one of the directorate’s responsibilities is to monitor the service providers and make sure that specialised services are provided only by the specialists. “We also review the price lists to make sure that the services
provided by the facility are within the scope of such service providers and try to make sure that the Arabic translation of the services in the facility’s price list matches with the English version,” he added. Increasing frequency In addition, Al Harthy said that DGPHE works in collaboration with the directorates of private health establishments in the regions to ensure that inspections are carried out more frequently. “The number of private dental facilities is almost double the number of the dental clinics in the government health facilities,” he said, adding that DGPHE has now three directorates, concerning quality, licencing facilities and licensing manpower. There are Continuous Professional Development Programmes to upgrade the staff, Al Harthy stated. Manned by Omanis Asked about the performance and progress of Omanis in the field of dental practice, he said many government dental facilities are manned by Omanis. However, the number of nationals is not very high in the private sector as many graduates prefer
to start their career in the public sector to gain some experience, he added. Private sector Al Harthy believes that there is a need to strengthen the private sector in this field as the demand for private sector facilities is growing and many patients want to avoid long queues in government facilities. Some services are currently only available at government facilities, he said, expressing the hope that such services will become available in the private sector as well. The official also said that there is a need for more specialized educational institutes and training centres to complement the existing programmes at the Sultan Qaboos University and Oman Medical Specialty Board. Insurance Commenting on the fact that dental treatment costs are not covered by insurance, he said it would be good if a decision is made to include them in insurance schemes as some may avoid seeking treatment because of the costs. Al Harthy said that according to his personal experience, oral diseases are one of the most common problems afflicting Omanis.
SAFETY ISSUES
Key traffic exhibition at Rahab School focuses on safety issues Times News Service
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MUSCAT: A number of tools used to ensure traffic safety were in focus at an exhibition held here. Under the patronage of Sheikh Dr Khalid bin Abdullah Al Ibri, deputy governor of Seeb, the assembly, “Our life in safety is more beautiful,” which was organised by the Rahab School for Basic Educa-
tion, was brought to a close. The event was attended by Hussain Al Balushi, director of the Educational Supervision Office in the region of Seeb and a number of heads of schools who participated in the assembly, as well as officials responsible for student matters. The closure of the assembly included presentation of a number of signs. The signs were presented
by the school’s students, who recommended safety issues to be addressed. In addition, the patron of the event opened the school’s ‘traffic city’ and toured the exhibition which the school had organised. Also, a number of organisations, such as the Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance, demonstrated how to extinguish fires, with the help of a number of
students from the participating schools. In addition, Seeb Police and voluntary organisations in the field of traffic safety displayed security and traffic safety measures. The assembly aimed to inform students about traffic safety issues and traffic laws, equip them with basic skills that will help them in following security and safety rules inside and outside their school.
M U S C AT M U N I C I PA L I T Y I N I T I AT I V E
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Muttrah shops feted for abiding by health rules Times News Service MUSCAT: A ceremony to honour a number of shops — ranging from hotels, restaurants and cafes, to barber shops and beauty salons — was held by the General Directorate of Muscat Municipality at Greater Muttrah. This came as part of the Directorate’s endeavour to promote commercial activities related to health, while clarifying its current procedure to improve standards for the sake of the public’s well being. This ceremony follows regular monitoring activities carried out by the Directorate, which are expected to continue for a full year. The shops are being checked regularly and will result in the classification of these establishments. The General Directorate of Muscat Municipality at Greater Muttrah continues to recognise shops that abide by the laws and regulations of the Municipality. Meanwhile, it corrects those that do not follow health require-
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ments. Of note, the Directorate has honoured more than 2,000 commercial establishments, such as hotels, restaurants, cafes, hairdressers and beauty salons, in the regions of Muscat and Muttrah. At the end of the ceremony, the Director of the General Directorate, Dr Ibrahim Al Rahbi, handed out certificates to those shops that were recognised as complying with the Municipality’s requirements to serve the public. Muscat Municipality stresses
that it will follow up on all activities related to the general health of the public, in order to advance standards for safety, especially regarding products and tools that are used to prepare meals. It will also serve as a breakthrough in assuring the cleanliness and etiquette of those working in these shops, by certifying the sources of products that are used while serving customers,as well as monitoring compliance with local rules and regulations.