Oman to need over 13,000 doctors by 2040

Muscat: The Sultanate will need more than 13,000 doctors by 2040. This prediction was revealed by the official Twitter handle of the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) and is part of the plan for Oman’s Vision 2040.
“13,000 is the number of additional doctors required to meet the needs of the health staff in the Sultanate by 2040,” NCSI tweeted as people across the world marked World Health Day with a series of events.
Dr Bashir A P, head of internal medicine at Badr Al Sama Hospital, said that this need could be met by employing both expatriate and Omani doctors.
“I think a mix of both expats and Omani medical professionals will help meet the target of 13,000.
“There’s no reason why Omanis can’t do the job. The medical graduates just need proper training. We need to develop the work culture, and Oman will do just fine,” Dr Bashir said.
He added that Omani medical professionals will have enough time to easily develop themselves into specialists in another 20 years. “By 2040, they will be in a better position to take on greater responsibility in the medical profession. With more and more medical professionals graduating, an attempt is being made in that direction,” he noted.
Dr Bashir said that apart from adding more doctors to the workforce, Oman needs to increase the number of hospitals.
“There is a shortage in the number of doctors, presently. We certainly need more. Moreover, there needs to be a better distribution of hospitals. We need more medical facilities in the interior of Oman,” Dr Bashir added.
NCSI also disclosed that the Sultanate needs over 2,000 more pharmacists by 2040. “2,146 is the number of additional pharmacists required to meet the needs of the health staff in the Sultanate by 2040,” according to the NCSI Twitter handle.