Muscat: Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) and Al Jisr Foundation on Monday signed a memorandum of cooperation (MoC) to establish Excellence Centre for Developmental Pediatrics to the tune of RO 4 million.
The MoC was signed by HH Sayyid Dr Fahd Al Julanda al Said, Vice Chancellor of SQU and Nouf Abdullah al Hosni from Al Jisr Foundation.
The MoC aims to consolidate the concept of smart partnership between civil institutions and the public sector. The move also comes in line with SQU’s drive to establish a centre for developmental pediatrics to serve the segment of society in need of this service, as well as to achieve SQU’s pioneering role in pediatrics and training Omani medical cadres.
Dina al Khalili, General Manager of Al Jisr Foundation said that the centre is expected to contribute to early detection, intervention and reduction of disabilities.
On her turn, Dr Watfa Said al Maamari, Senior Consultant of Child Health at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH) said that the hospital provides diagnostic services for 70% of children with developmental disorders and disabilities in Oman.
She added that statistics indicate approximately 10% of children have such disorders. The number of Omani children aged below 18, according to the 2020 e-census, reached 1,185,059 constituting 43% of total the Omani population, which needs to be taken into consideration, Al Maamari affirmed.
