TY - JOUR
T1 - Challenges and Opportunities for Public Health Service in Oman From the COVID-19 Pandemic
T2 - Learning Lessons for a Better Future
AU - Al Khalili, Sulien
AU - Al Maani, Amal
AU - Al Wahaibi, Adil
AU - Al Yaquobi, Fatma
AU - Al-Jardani, Amina
AU - Al Harthi, Khalid
AU - Alqayoudhi, Abdullah
AU - Al Manji, Abdullah
AU - Al Rawahi, Bader
AU - Al-Abri, Seif
N1 - Funding Information:
We are grateful to all contributors who are directly or indirectly involved in the combating and managing of the COVID-19 pandemic in Oman. We thank all health care workers in governmental and private institutes. Special thanks go to all departments of diseases surveillance and control and their teams at the governorates, laboratory departments, media cell, MoH call center, and occupational health department for their heroic roles during the pandemic.
Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2021 Al Khalili, Al Maani, Al Wahaibi, Al Yaquobi, Al-Jardani, Al Harthi, Alqayoudhi, Al Manji, Al Rawahi and Al-Abri.
PY - 2021/12/9
Y1 - 2021/12/9
N2 - Despite the apparent challenges inflicted by COVID-19 globally, the pandemic provided an opportunity to utilize and expand existing public health capacities for a more adaptive and resilient system during and after each wave of the disease. This paper provides a narrative review of Oman's public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic from January 2020 to July 2021, and the challenges it faced for a more rapid and efficient response. The review demonstrates that the three main pillars influencing the direction of the pandemic and aiding the control are Oman's unified governmental leadership, the move to expand the capacity of the health care system at all levels, and community partnership in all stages of the response including the COVID-19 vaccination campaign. The opportunities identified during response stages in the harmonization of the multisectoral response, streamlining communication channels, addressing vulnerable communities (dormitories, residences at border regions), and providing professional technical leadership provide an excellent precursor for expediting the transformation of Oman's health care system to one with a multisectoral holistic approach. Some of the major challenges faced are the shortage of the public health cadre, lack of a fully integrated digital platform for surveillance, and the scarcity of experts in risk communication and community engagement. A future health system where the center for diseases surveillance and control acts as a nucleus for multisectoral expertise and leadership, which includes community representatives, is crucial to attain optimum health. The destruction inflicted by this prolong COVID-19 pandemic at all levels of human life had valued the importance of investing on preventive and preparedness strategies.
AB - Despite the apparent challenges inflicted by COVID-19 globally, the pandemic provided an opportunity to utilize and expand existing public health capacities for a more adaptive and resilient system during and after each wave of the disease. This paper provides a narrative review of Oman's public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic from January 2020 to July 2021, and the challenges it faced for a more rapid and efficient response. The review demonstrates that the three main pillars influencing the direction of the pandemic and aiding the control are Oman's unified governmental leadership, the move to expand the capacity of the health care system at all levels, and community partnership in all stages of the response including the COVID-19 vaccination campaign. The opportunities identified during response stages in the harmonization of the multisectoral response, streamlining communication channels, addressing vulnerable communities (dormitories, residences at border regions), and providing professional technical leadership provide an excellent precursor for expediting the transformation of Oman's health care system to one with a multisectoral holistic approach. Some of the major challenges faced are the shortage of the public health cadre, lack of a fully integrated digital platform for surveillance, and the scarcity of experts in risk communication and community engagement. A future health system where the center for diseases surveillance and control acts as a nucleus for multisectoral expertise and leadership, which includes community representatives, is crucial to attain optimum health. The destruction inflicted by this prolong COVID-19 pandemic at all levels of human life had valued the importance of investing on preventive and preparedness strategies.
KW - COVID-19
KW - Oman
KW - One Health
KW - disease surveillance
KW - health care system
KW - pandemic
KW - public health
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85121758189&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85121758189&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fpubh.2021.770946
DO - 10.3389/fpubh.2021.770946
M3 - Article
C2 - 34957024
AN - SCOPUS:85121758189
SN - 2296-2565
VL - 9
JO - Frontiers in Public Health
JF - Frontiers in Public Health
M1 - 770946
ER -