The recently concluded International Occupational Health Summit (IOHS) held at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre celebrated Oman's progress in facilitating occupational health on local, regional, and global scales, matching world-class standards across industries.
Organised by the Ministry of Energy and Minerals and Oman Energy Association (OPAL), the show was inaugurated by Mahad bin Said Baowain, Oman’s Minister of Labour. Themed 'Towards a Sustainable Health Excellence at the Workplace'," Abdulrahman al Yahyaei, CEO of Oman Energy Association (OPAL), who was the chairman of the summit, spoke on the significance of embracing a workplace that puts equal importance on productivity, sustainability and health orientation.
He also acknowledged the support received from international bodies such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
With more than 100 experts from 20 countries joining the summit to advance discussions and workshops matters of occupational health, industrial hygiene, mental health, and non-communicable diseases, Al Yahyaei said that putting in place the right laws and regulations to build industry standards are importat in establishing occupational health.
While delivering the keynote address, Saeed al Lamki, Under-Secretary for Health Affairs at the Ministry of Health, noted that occupational health and its impact on the well-being of the Omani workforce is bigger than just a medical concern, set to drive the country's economic and social advancement at large. Establishing the urgency of the matter, he accounted that occupational injuries and diseases globally make up for more than 4% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) annually. According to him, focusing on maintaining present well-being and working towards a sustainable future is the need of the hour to secure the huge workforce of the country.
Oman has already put in place the necessary organisations and policies for the seamless integration of occupational health into the global health and development agenda. The Ministry of Health has implemented a comprehensive strategy that aligns occupational health initiatives with their Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) objectives.
Technology, for example, has been inbuilt into an ongoing service system, ensuring event-based surveillance for threats to public health. In the patient safety front, a comprehensive system combines healthcare worker safety into quality improvement projects.
Al Lamki revealed plans to extend occupational health services to all the governorates of Oman by 2024.
