Thursday 20 / March / 2025
MUSCAT: The Ministry of Social Development (MOSD) announced its achievements in 2024 and its future plans in the areas of welfare and integration of people with disabilities in the presence of Dr Laila bint Ahmed al Najjar, Minister of Social Development at a media meeting on Wednesday.
The Social Development Ministry revealed that the total social assistance benefits disbursed in 2024 amounted to OMR11,968,546, provided to 102,167 cases.
The ministry revealed that a total of 1,635 beneficiaries received job-related training between 2020 and the end of 2024 including 234 in 2024. The ministry also provided 675 job opportunities in the public and private sectors for individuals from social protection and low-income families and people with disabilities between 2020 and 2025, including 92 job opportunities provided in 2024. This is in addition to 86 cases who received support to start home-based businesses at a total amount of OMR 46,558.
The ministry reviewed six main targets it had accomplished within Oman Vision 2040 out of 32 targets, including electronic connectivity with the population base and the Central Bank of Oman and relevant authorities.
The goals also include the preparation of a national guide for engineering specifications for urban environments and transportation for people with disabilities, the preparation of a guide for quality standards for services provided to people with disabilities, the completion of the intervention and referral system for domestic violence, the establishment and completion of a donation platform or charitable work portal and the development of guidelines for regulating integrated early childhood centres.
Speaking on the occasion, Hamoud bin Murdad al Shabibi, official spokesman for the ministry, said: “The media briefing is held as part of the ministry’s keenness to highlight its efforts. Among the most important things being reviewed is the ministry’s organisational structure, as well as the automation of all services to citizens, which are now provided through technical and electronic systems and that the ministry is moving towards focusing on expanding and empowering people with disabilities and expanding rehabilitation programmes.”
Amending the organisational structure of the Ministry of Social Development, pursuant to Royal Decree No 14/2024, is one of the most notable achievements during 2024. This achievement also marked a qualitative leap in the average achievement of digital transformation requirements and that all e-services for the ministry's beneficiaries were automated at a rate of 100 per cent, five regulatory regulations were issued, and nine initiatives were launched as part of the outputs of the Laboratory for the Development of Services and Programmes for Persons with Disabilities.
These initiatives include mandatory medical examination programmes for those intending to marry; developing the newborn screening programme by adding tests for genetic autonomic disorders for newborns; developing periodic medical examinations in the child's record card by adding two visits at the ages of three and four year; strengthening partnerships to provide health and rehabilitation services at government rehabilitation centres; classifying specific jobs for persons with intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorder and Down Syndrome; establishing committees for the affairs of persons with disabilities in Al Dhahirah Governorate; implementing legal provisions for the employment of persons with disabilities; implementing the occupational safety and health regulations for persons with disabilities; and providing educational services for students with autism spectrum disorder.
Also, the past year witnessed the launch of the 'Ta'heel' platform for persons with disabilities, the signing of an agreement with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning to establish a rehabilitation services complex for persons with disabilities in Sultan Haitham City, the provision of two mobile units to provide rehabilitation services for children with disabilities in the wilayats of Haima and Al Jazir, the creation of two hydrotherapy units at Al Wafa Centres for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities in the wilayats of Ibri and Bahla, the establishment of Al Wafa Centre for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities in the Wilayat of Manah, the launch of the Creativity Award for Persons with Disabilities, and the Child Care and Youth Hostels Centre.
The ministry won the first place at the Third Forum for Institutional Innovation and Change Management, prepared and discussed the fifth and sixth national reports to follow up on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and won ten gold medals, four silver medals and six bronze medals in the third boccia competition, in addition to the first place in the second boccia competition organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth. By the end of 2024, the ministry had issued approximately 64,087 Persons with Disabilities cards.
There were also 119 government, private and community rehabilitation centres by the end of last year, including 19 centres that had opened. The total number of beneficiaries at these centres from 2020 to the end of 2024 was approximately 27,429. Furthermore, 28,111 prosthetic devices were disbursed from 2020 to the end of 2024, including 10,795 prosthetic devices during 2024.
Regarding the family and community development sector, the meeting revealed that there were 369 nurseries by the end of 2024, including 14 new nurseries that opened in 2024, and that childcare centres and youth hostels housed 74 children in which there were 77 children enrolled in youth hostels. Regarding juvenile, the number of juvenile offenders referred by the Public Prosecution reached 96, while the number of juvenile offenders referred by the Public Prosecution reached 437.
The number of monitored juvenile cases reached approximately 563, with 32 juvenile offenders placed in a juvenile reform home, and nine juveniles at risk of delinquency placed in a juvenile guidance home. Aftercare was also provided to 89 cases. The ministry also reported that 8,710 elderly people and their families benefited from the social services provided to them, including 46 elderly residents of Al Rustaq Social Welfare Home.
In 2024, the number of children exposed to abuse dealt with by Child Protection Committees reached 2,973, with 72 children exposed to abuse being placed in family protection homes. There were also 1,390 incoming phone calls to the psychological and family counselling hotline since 2020, and 2,786 cases were provided with direct psychological counselling and family counselling services during 2024.
