Omanisation Hits Out At Expat Medical Professional Jobs

Is this the beginning of the end for expat medical professionals in Oman?

For several decades, the Gulf State emirate of Oman has been a successful relocation destination for qualified expat professionals in the medical sector. However, over the past two years, hospital and clinic jobs have increasingly been given to newly-qualified Omani citizens under the umbrella of Omanisation of both the private and public sectors, a policy which has resulted in increasing numbers of expatriate contracts not being renewed even after years of service.

During the past two years, a total of 600 experienced expat nurses have been replaced by Omani graduates from the emirate’s several universities and training institutions, but replacing years of experience in this challenging career simply isn’t possible. Clinics and hospitals affected range from the Royal Hospital through medical centres in Seeb, Buraimi, Sohar, Khashab, Buraimi and other areas. Currently, new Omani graduates in the fields of medical technology such as ultrasound cardiography, radiography, cardiac perfusion, respiratory therapy and other diagnostic technology as well as mental health and prosthetics are replacing expats with professional experience in these fields.

It remains to be seen whether patient care and the success of diagnostic procedures are affected by a lack of experience on the part of newly-qualified Omani staff. At the present time, due an expansion of the Omanisation programme, 61 per cent of nurses working in Oman’s hospitals and clinics are Emirati citizens. These last reported and confirmed numbers represent 2016 reports, with the above statistics likely to push the percentage even higher.