Oman’s Ministry of Health to cut costs by reducing workers

Muscat: The Omani Ministry of Health has issued a circular containing a set of measures aimed at controlling spending that include among other steps, reducing the number of workers in certain professions and cancelling the work contracts, reports Atheer, a leading local daily in Oman.

The circular was issued by Dr Fatima Al Ajmi, the Undersecretary for Administrative, Financial and Planning Affairs at the Ministry of Health. She stated that these measures are based on the broader decisions originating from the Ministry of Finance.

The measures include reducing the number of cleaners by at least 20 per cent of the current total contracts, reducing the number of technicians by a similar percentage, and reducing the number of security guards in government health institutions. Among other salient points aimed at cost-cutting is the decision to reduce rented vehicles by about 20-25 per cent from the current numbers. Under review is also the consumption of electricity and water, which the Ministry intends to reduce by 20-30 per cent of the current usage levels.

The rental contracts of trucks used will be cancelled and replaced with a contract based on the number of trips taken. There are also directives to ban buying or replacing office furniture, and “cancelling garden contracts and preserving green spaces through service contracts instead of providing garden workers.”

The austerity measures also prohibit providing meals to unauthorised personnel who accompany patients.