Medical treatment in India for patients from Oman

Why patients from Oman look abroad

• Ministry of Health planned to cut knee-replacement waits from 700 days to 120 days and MRI waits from up to 16 months (2021-22) to under 4 weeks; endoscopy waits had been about one year (700-day knee replacement wait) 2024-09-03
• Health Minister: patients sent abroad fell from 779 to 398 between 2023 and 2025 as specialised services expanded; treatment abroad now limited to complex cases needing technology or expertise unavailable locally; long waiting times acknowledged (398 patients sent abroad (2025)) 2026-09-19
• Opinion piece cites an estimate (described as hard to verify) of about 100,000 Omanis a year going abroad for treatment, mainly to Thailand, India, Iran and Germany, often because of long waits at government hospitals; hospital beds fell from 17.8 to 15 per 10,000 people 2010-2019 (~100,000/year (unverified estimate)) 2021-05-19
• Oman performed only 19 kidney transplants (15 living, 4 deceased donor) and 11 liver transplants in 2023; patients without a living donor go on a national deceased-donor waiting list; fundraising for transplants abroad was banned after some patients used black markets (19 kidney + 11 liver transplants (2023)) 2024-07-30
• About 900 kidney-failure patients on regular dialysis; of about 800 transplant recipients under follow-up, nearly 300 were transplanted in Oman and the rest abroad (~500 of 800 transplanted abroad) undated republication of Oman Daily Observer article (retrieved 2026-10-23)
• Oman had 24 dialysis centres with 373 beds and about 2,500 chronic kidney failure patients, more than 600 in Muscat Governorate (373 dialysis beds) 2021-06-27

Flights from Oman to India

Main airports: Muscat International Airport (MCT), Salalah International Airport (SLL), Sohar Airport (OHS).

• Oman Air: Muscat-Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Goa-Mopa, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram
• SalamAir: Muscat-Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Mumbai
• Air India Express: Muscat-Delhi, Kannur, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mangaluru, Mumbai, Tiruchirappalli, Thiruvananthapuram
• IndiGo: Muscat-Hyderabad, Kochi, Mumbai
• Air India Express: Muscat-Mangaluru, Kannur, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikode, Tiruchirappalli, Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow, Varanasi; Salalah-Kochi, Kozhikode

Routes change often; check the airline before booking.

Government and insurance schemes

• Ministry of Health treatment abroad (patients sent at MoH expense): About 1,900 patients sent abroad in 2025; India 19.6% (top destination), Turkey 14%. 2025 counts by specialty: eye 78, kidney/urinary 11, cancer 12, heart 8, bone 13, liver transplant 6, plastic surgery 4, other 266 (article contains internal inconsistencies) 2026-09-15
• National Committee for Treatment Abroad (Ministry of Health): Patients apply with medical reports; committee reviews weekly and recommends treatment abroad when suitable treatment is unavailable in Oman; MoH bears cost of committee-coordinated cases 15-20 cases referred abroad per week 2022-08-02

Waiting times reported in Oman

• Knee replacement (Ministry of Health hospitals) (Muscat): 700 days (target cut to 120 days) 2024-09-03
• MRI scan (Ministry of Health) (Muscat): up to 16 months in 2021-22 (target under 4 weeks) 2024-09-03
• Endoscopy (Ministry of Health) (Muscat): one year (target two months) 2024-09-03

What treatment costs in Oman

Indian mission: Embassy of India, Muscat, Muscat — official website.

Sources

• Ministry of Health planned to cut knee-replacement waits from 700 days to 120 da
• Health Minister: patients sent abroad fell from 779 to 398 between 2023 and 2025
• Opinion piece cites an estimate (described as hard to verify) of about 100,000 O
• Oman performed only 19 kidney transplants (15 living, 4 deceased donor) and 11 l
• About 900 kidney-failure patients on regular dialysis; of about 800 transplant r
• Oman had 24 dialysis centres with 373 beds and about 2,500 chronic kidney failur
• IVF (private), per cycle - IVI Middle East Fertility Clinic
• Ministry of Health treatment abroad (patients sent at MoH expense)
• National Committee for Treatment Abroad (Ministry of Health)
• Indian e-Visa eligible countries

Medically reviewed by The Curaventa Team. Last updated 2026-10-24. General information, not medical advice. Medical editorial board · Editorial policy · How we get prices