Monday 18 / May / 2026
Geneva: The Sultanate of Oman today presented its Digital Hajj Health Card experience during the 2024 Hajj season at the Digital Health Governance event, one of the most prominent side events accompanying the Seventy-Ninth Session of the World Health Assembly in Geneva.
The Sultanate of Oman, together with Indonesia and Malaysia, participated in the Digital Hajj Health Card pilot during the 2024 Hajj season, in one of the world's largest-scale experiments in applying verifiable digital health records in a mass mobility environment.
More than 250,000 pilgrims benefited from secure and reliable health records that accompanied them during their travel and as they received healthcare services.
This pioneering achievement rests upon an integrated ecosystem of digital enablers in the health sector, established by the Sultanate of Oman over many years.
Foremost among them is the "Al Shifa" system, which today connects more than 85 percent of health institutions in the Sultanate of Oman.
This is in addition to the advanced national digital infrastructure and the role of the Health Command and Control Center, which manages health services and monitors them during major seasons and mass gatherings. This embodies genuine readiness to lead digital health models at both the regional and international levels.
Dr. Hilal Ali Al Sabti, Minister of Health, stated in his address that Oman's pioneering experience has been proven through the implementation of the Hajj health card, noting that the International Patient Summary initiative is not merely a theoretical concept but a practical solution that changes people's lives.
He added that during the 2024 and 2025 Hajj seasons, more than half a million pilgrims were able to carry their verified health records, enabling them to receive rapid and accurate medical care in the most critical moments.
The minister pointed out that Oman Vision 2040 is centred on building a health system supported by modern technologies, focused on the individual and characterised by interconnectedness with the world. The Sultanate of Oman proceeds from this vision in its belief in the importance of making the patient a central pillar of the digital healthcare system, thereby ensuring the accessibility of these services to all.
He explained that the ongoing collaboration with the World Health Organization concerning the Global Network for Digital Health Accreditation practically and realistically embodies these directions and future vision, affirming that the Sultanate of Oman continues its commitment to developing its health system through adopting innovation and advancing digital transformation pathways.
He noted that the Sultanate of Oman is currently witnessing an accelerated and organized phase of growth in the health technology sector, founded upon a package of integrated developments in the field of digital health, which will shape the contours of national health policies through to 2030.
Within the framework of its accelerated digital journey, the Sultanate of Oman and the World Health Organization are exploring an ambitious strategic partnership to develop the "Global Digital Health Wallet" initiative, aimed at enabling individuals to securely access their essential health data, such as vaccination certificates and the international patient summary, through unified global standards that ensure reliability and interoperability among various health systems worldwide.
The discussions at the event centered on the qualitative transformation from fragmented and isolated health systems to comprehensive digital health wallets, based on recognised international standards, providing the patient with a trusted health record that accompanies them wherever they go, and enabling healthcare providers to make sound and informed medical decisions regardless of their geographical location.
This event holds exceptional significance in light of increasing international mobility and the growing need for more integrated and resilient health systems, particularly in view of the lessons revealed by the COVID-19 pandemic concerning the fragility of cross-border health coordination when unified standards are absent and data is fragmented.
