Services offered by the Family Medicine Department:

• General Practice - Adult and Paediatric
• Health promotion and patient education
• Disease prevention
• Diagnosis and treatment of acute or chronic conditions
• Health maintenance and follow-up care
• Medical insurance, recreational, and employment purposes
• Vaccination
• Travel advice
• Minor surgery
• Joint and soft tissue injection

he concept of family medicine is new to Oman but most people growing up in western cultures will be familiar with the term. Basically it is a system of medical care where one doctor (or perhaps a group of doctors) are responsible for the primary health care of a community. Traditionally this doctor would be the first to see the patient for any medical problem, whether it be a cut finger, a woman in labour, a child with a runny nose or someone with depression. This doctor dealt with everything that came through the door; the care was general not specialized, hence this doctor was known as the general practitioner or GP. He or she practiced family medicine, that is every member of the family was seen, quite often over a number of years, for any and every complaint. Of course many issues could not be dealt with by the GP and then the case would be referred to an appropriate specialist. However the first port of call was traditionally the family doctor for the initial assessment. After the patient saw the specialist the ongoing care would then go back to the GP. The family doctor was the coordinator of care. So this doctor frequently built up an intimate relationship with patients and families, sometimes spanning generations. The basis of this was the medical and social knowledge the doctor had acquired of not only the patient, but also his family and community. This provided valuable continuity of care. In the west unfortunately, the concept of family medicine is now breaking down for many reasons, to the detriment of both individual patients and their families.

Continuity of care is a precious commodity that patients, used to seeing the same doctor, cherish. Having to explain your story to someone new, no matter how competent this doctor might be, can be wearying. It is much easier when the doctor has seen you through most of your medical crises and sniffles and knows you well. You can trust him or her to do their best by you, or at least refer you to the best person who can. You can also expect to be looked at holistically, not just as a patient with a collection of symptoms.

Good family medicine is what we are trying to establish at Muscat Private Hospital. We are a group of 4 highly experienced GP's, who have been in practice long enough to deal with most things. We are keen to develop continuity of care, not the fragmented sort of medical experience that one might get in a hospital outpatient setting. We also have the advantage of having expert first-hand advice from the many excellent specialists who work with us. We aim to have patients see us more than once, indeed to see us first with most of their medical problems and to bring their families with them. We will ensure they get care of the highest standard from us as generalist doctors, if that is required, or from specialists if necessary. We will attempt to make ourselves available as much as possible so the patient sees the same doctor each time. Importantly we try not to lose sight of what medical care actually means, that is we care that the patient gets better.