Building accreditation from within
What Oman tells us about sustainable quality reform
by Fouad Chalhoub
April 26, 2026 | Healthcare Accreditation
Accreditation works when it is treated as a capability-building journey, not a compliance event. Oman is defining what that looks like in practice.
When His Majesty Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq set out the ambitions of Oman Vision 2040, health was not a footnote. It was a national priority, with an explicit aspiration to build a leading healthcare system to international standards. That direction carried a demand with it: that quality in Oman's health system not be aspirational language, but a measurable, accountable, and institutionally embedded reality.
Oman Vision 2040 names health a national priority under its "Society of Creative Individuals" pillar, with an explicit aspiration to build a leading healthcare system that meets international standards. However, this is not rhetorical framing. It has translated into Ministry of Health commitments around quality assurance, decentralized governance, human resource development, and system reform. In short, the exact conditions that make accreditation more than a periodic survey cycle.
The Oman Healthcare Accreditation System (OHAS) reflects that seriousness of intent. In fact, its standards are internationally accredited by ISQua EEA. The system was officially launched in November 2024 following Council of Ministers approval. It was designed for the local context, not imported wholesale from elsewhere, while remaining fully aligned with international benchmarks.
Real accreditation maturity is not standards on paper. It is the mechanisms that make system adoption possible, and the people who make those mechanisms work.
What distinguishes Oman's approach is the investment in implementation infrastructure alongside standards. An accreditation registration service for hospitals, structured baseline compliance tools, assessor coaching pathways, readiness data collection, training workshops, etc, these are the signals of a system built to function, not just to exist.
The assessor as a system enabler
Many accreditation efforts falter at a specific point: the gap between approved standards and the professionals capable of applying them consistently and credibly. Assessors are often treated as a logistical consideration, trained just enough to conduct surveys. Oman has taken a different view.
Gates Group has been a strategic partner for the MOH in Oman since 2022. Through this partnership, we have contributed to building a pool of 57 certified surveyors, with the current phase focused on developing approximately 25% of that pool toward lead assessor capability. That progression matters. A lead assessor does not simply process compliance evidence; they interpret it, support institutions in translating standards into safer practices, and carry survey credibility in ways that strengthen the whole system.
This is where Oman's model diverges meaningfully from approaches that remain dependent on rotating external consultants or episodic survey cycles. When a country develops its own rigorous, well-prepared assessors, it builds something that compounds over time: credibility, institutional memory, and a growing capacity to sustain a culture of quality from within.
A regional reference point
From Gates Group's perspective, the Oman case carries a transferable message for health systems across the Middle East and beyond. Standards matter. Governance architecture matters. Digital infrastructure matters. But none of it delivers without empowered professionals. The people can lead assessments rigorously, support improvement constructively, and keep patient safety at the center of every decision.
Accreditation is most powerful when it is not treated as a technical compliance exercise, but as part of a national transformation agenda. Oman has built its system that way, anchored in Vision 2040, aligned with ministry reform priorities, and implemented through a long-term investment in capability. That is what sustainable quality reform looks like, and it is why Oman deserves attention not only as a national success story, but as a model for how accreditation can be built from within.
A Standing Ovation!
Gates Group salutes the Sultanate of Oman, the Ministry of Health, and above all the Quality Assurance Center and its Director General, Dr. Qamra Said Al Sariri, for every milestone reached on this journey so far. What we have witnessed together is not the conclusion of a project. It is a series of deliberate, hard-earned steps forward, each one building on the last, with many more still ahead. The dedication and resolve of the entire quality assurance team in turning policy into practice and vision into reality deserve recognition at every stage.
As Oman advances steadily toward the aspirations of Vision 2040, the national agenda set forth by His Majesty Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq, Gates Group is honoured to walk this journey alongside the teams who are making it happen, one milestone at a time.
About Gates Group
Gates Group empowers healthcare organizations to win!As a healthcare management consultancy with deep expertise across the Middle East, we drive strategic, business, organizational, and digital transformation for ministries, health authorities, and ambitious healthcare organizations. We help our clients build sustainable performance that goes beyond compliance, through people, data, systems, and leadership capacity-building, strengthening governance, improving outcomes, optimizing operations, increasing financial resilience, and enhancing market credibility.
Because in healthcare, true transformation is not only about meeting standards. It is about building the capability to compete, grow, and lead.
About the Author(s):
Fouad Chalhoub is GATES’ Value Promotion Specialist.