Investment in Healthcare Sector Symposium to be Held Wednesday

Muscat, The Ministry of Health (MOH)

represented by the department of Investment & Financing Alternatives

(IFA), in collaboration with the Public Authority for Investment

Promotion & Export Development (Ithraa) will conduct this Wednesday

a symposium on Investment in the Health Sector (opportunities &

aspirations) under the auspices of Nasser bin Khamis al-Jashmi,

Undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance (MOF) at the Crown Plaza

hotel.

The Symposium will highlight the significance of investment in

health sector for the Sultanate by hosting group of investments experts

and specialists addressing the most prominent challenges facing this

sector. It further aims at outlining the available investment opportunities

in the health sector through the provision of medical services or

pharmaceutical industry and biomedical technology. By organizing this

symposium, the Ministry aspires to facilitate investment related

procedures in the Sultanate’s Health sector.

The health sector is one of the main pillars of economy worldwide

since it has direct bonds to people’s life from one side and from

another side the development of any health system is associated with

citizens’ prosperity in social and economic aspects. Over the past

decades, the health sector in the Sultanate has experienced

accelerating growth, which affected positively on the economy’s annual

growth rate in general. The high growth rates in the Sultanate health

sector are expected to continue in the upcoming decades.

The health sector in the Sultanate is facing several challenges that

are seen in the rapid increase of population, which is expected to reach

7 million people by 2040. The Sultanate as well is experiencing

growing rates of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes,

hypertension, and heart diseases in addition to the complications

arising from these diseases that have led to doubling up of health care

costs thus affecting quality of healthcare provision.

The previous challenges are economically investment-oriented

prospects in healthcare sector by way of providing the fundamental

basis for profitability.

It is hoped that this symposium will come up with a number of

recommendations in order to encounter the current as well as the

future challenges regarding those facing the Sultanate health services

and approaching to expectations that would strengthen the partnership

with the private sector along with supporting and facilitating the health

sector investment.

Source:Oman News Agency