Oman launches virtual clinic project
Move to minimise frequency of in-person visits to hospitals
Muscat: Oman has launched a virtual clinic project for primary health care, which aims to provide services for patients with chronic diseases.
Launched by Oman’s Ministry of Health in association with the WHO office in Oman and Bloomberg Charity International Foundation, the initiative is part of Healthy Cities project.
The service is an important addition to advanced health care in Oman which minimizes the physical contact on account of hospital visits. The need to for this project arose during the pandemic when many people with chronic diseases could not be reached in time of need.
A precursor to this project was the telephone consultation concept that was introduced in March 2020 as one of the options for communicating with patients. Many doctors provided free consultation for a range of symptoms as people were dissuaded from visiting hospitals or health centres during peak pandemic time last year.
The new system is introduced in its pilot phase in the local communities around health centres and hospitals. The service would in the coming phases, have more technology based innovative inclusions with virtual sound and image that makes it as real as an actual consultation.