Oman

THE SULTANATE OF OMAN in the Persian Gulf has been ruled by Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said since 1970. Under the sultan's brand of progressivism, Oman has maintained military ties with Great Britain while keeping an independent but cordial relationship with other Middle Eastern countries. With a per capita annual income of $13,100, Oman is an upper-middle-income nation with valuable natural resources that include petroleum, natural gas, copper, limestone, and asbestos.

Oman's economy is diversified, and most of the Omani labor force is employed in services. Agriculture is limited by periodic droughts and a lack of freshwater resources. Unemployment stands at 15 percent, but Oman is experiencing low inflation (0.2 percent) and a trade surplus. As part of the liberalizing process, Oman joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2000 and actively courts foreign investors.

While no poverty rate is available, it is clear that women are more likely than men to be poor in Omani society. To remedy this situation, Oman's Social Security Act provides financial assistance to women who have been widowed, divorced, or abandoned. Benefits are also allotted to unmarried girls and to women with a family member in prison. Among the general population, social security assists orphans, the disabled, and the elderly.

Oman is in the process of decentralizing healthcare services, and over 96 percent of Omanis are covered by accessible healthcare centers. There are 137 physicians for every 100,000 residents, and less than 20 percent of the population are unable to afford essential drugs. Because of water shortages, 61 percent of Omanis lack sustainable access to safe drinking water. However, only eight percent do not have access to proper sanitation. Between 1980 and 2005, life expectancy in Oman climbed from 58 to 70.92 years for males and from 61 to 75.46 years for females. Around 43 percent of the population are under the age of 14, and 2.5 percent have reached the age of 65.

Childhood health indicators in Oman are generally indicative of the government's position on improving healthcare. Between 1970 and 2005, infant mortality was drastically reduced from 126 to 11 deaths per 1,000 live births. The drop in mortality among all children under 5 was even greater. From 200 deaths per 1,000 in 1970, childhood mortality plunged to 12 deaths per 1,000 in 2005. Nevertheless 24 percent of all children under the age of 5 are underweight in Oman, and four percent of these are severely malnourished. Approximately 23 percent of children under 5 are moderately to severely stunted, and 13 percent are moderately to severely wasted. On the positive side, childhood immunizations are almost 100 percent among children from birth to 23 months old.

Even though fertility in Oman remains high at 5.84 children per woman, the fertility rate has been reduced from an average of 7.2 children per woman in the 1970s. The adolescent fertility rate is 53 per 1,000 births. Less than one-third of Omani women use birth control methods, but that number has more than tripled since 1994, when the Omani government initiated a family planning program and began dispensing free birth control. The emphasis of the program has been on improving maternal and infant health through birth spacing. Approximately 95 percent of all births occur in the presence of trained medical staff, and 93.4 percent take [Page 796]place in hospitals or clinics. Between 1995 and 2000, Oman reduced maternal mortality from 22 deaths per 100,000 live births to 16 per 100,000. Thereafter, mortality rates began to spiral upward. By 2003, 37.5 deaths were occurring out of every 100,000 live births. The prevalence of anemia among pregnant Omani women is a major cause of maternal death because it increases the chances of hemorrhage during delivery.

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