On Monday, 25 October 2021, the WHO country office in Oman signed a memorandum of understanding to work with the Oman Society of Lipid and Atherosclerosis and the Medical Research Centre of Sultan Qaboos University on a range of activities activities related to detection, education, advocacy and research on familial hypercholesterolemia.
Familial hypercholesterolemia is a common disorder globally and in Oman but many individuals go undiagnosed and so there is a need to raise awareness of this disorder. Oman has a significant gap in diagnostic and treatment modalities of familial hypercholesterolemia and there is a need for establishment of a national screening programme in Oman to detect cases and reduce risk factors.
Oman's collaboration seeks to establish a collaborative programme to strengthen the diagnosis and management of familial hypercholesterolemis in Oman to serve as an example of best practice in the Region by implementing national policies and recommendations. It will also aim to establish a national advocacy group and platform to increase public awareness about the disorder, strengthen educational programmes for health care providers and pre-service educational programmes for medical students and improve research programmes.
