The Ministry of Health of Oman ensures only safe, potent, licensed medicines are sold in the country and distributed to patients in public hospitals and health centres. The Ministry has adopted a proactive policy to promote the use of an essential medicines list. Oman’s programme on rational medicine use is recognized globally. A national survey, however, identified key areas for improvement at the household level. A recent study on medicine pricing found that the availability of generic medicines in the public sector was fairly high and that medicine prices were slightly lower than international reference prices, however, originator brands were many times higher. A recent assessment by the WHO Good Governance for Medicines programme identified areas to be addressed to ensure a comprehensive system for the governance of pharmaceuticals.

Related links

WHO Good Governance for Medicines