Urgent need for investments in Dhofar’s health and education sectors

Dhofar Governorate is grappling with significant challenges in its health and education sectors, with recent reports underscoring the urgent need for substantial investments to meet the demands of the growing population and develop essential infrastructure.

Dhofar’s health sector is in dire need of investment to adequately serve its residents. The governorate faces a shortage of hospital beds, with only 12.8 beds per 10,000 people compared to the national average of 16.5. This shortfall necessitates an increase in bed capacity to accommodate the rising healthcare demands.

The situation is further compounded by a lack of medical professionals. Dhofar has only 178 doctors, equating to 3.7 per 10,000 people, and 472 nurses, or 9.7 per 10,000 people. These figures are significantly below the required levels, highlighting the urgent need for more healthcare workers.

Moreover, the absence of specialized medical laboratories in Dhofar hampers the provision of advanced medical services and precise disease diagnoses, further straining the healthcare system.

In the education sector, Dhofar has 164 government schools, with non-Omani students comprising 11.9% of the student body. Despite this, the governorate suffers from a lack of schools operating in the morning shift, with only 15 schools running evening shifts, placing additional pressure on the already stretched educational infrastructure and impacting the quality of education.

The higher education landscape is similarly constrained. Dhofar has only four government colleges and one private university, all located in Salalah. This limited district restricts access to higher education for students from other parts of the governorate.

Strategic Recommendations:

• Health Sector: Increase investments in building and expanding hospitals to boost bed capacity. Enhance recruitment and continuous training for doctors and nurses. Establish specialized medical laboratories to provide advanced healthcare services and improve diagnostic accuracy.

• Education Sector: Expand the number of government schools operating in the morning shift to alleviate pressure on current institutions. Develop more higher education institutions across the governorate to ensure wider access to higher education.

Dhofar Governorate, through these strategic recommendations, aims to elevate the quality of healthcare and education services and improve infrastructure to keep pace with the growing population and its needs.

Qasim Al Maashani

The author is the head of Oman Observer’s Business section