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Omanisation Hits Pharmacies: Expats to Be Replaced by Locals

New health ministry rule ends contract renewals for expat pharmacists, opening jobs for unemployed Omani grads.

  • Publish date: Monday، 21 July 2025 Reading time: 1 min read
Omanisation Hits Pharmacies: Expats to Be Replaced by Locals

The Omani Ministry of Health just dropped a new rule—Circular 167/2025—saying they won’t be renewing contracts for non-Omani pharmacists and assistants. That means once current contracts expire, those roles will open up for Omani nationals instead.

This policy mainly targets pharmacies in commercial areas and hospital facilities.

What This Means for Omani Grads

For Omani pharmacy graduates who've struggled to find work in their own country, this news is huge. A large number of private sector pharmacy roles have been filled by expats for years, leaving many locals jobless.

Recruitment expert Ahmed Al Wadahi said it’s about time. “This gives Omanis a real shot at joining the pharmaceutical workforce and standing on their own two feet,” he shared.

Long Wait Finally Over

Nasser Al Muqbali, a 28-year-old pharmacist, has been unemployed for five years. He’s hopeful. “I’ve been waiting for this. Like so many others, I just want to start my career,” he said.

Numbers Behind the Change

Pharmacy in Oman has grown a lot over the years. According to WHO data, the number of pharmacists more than tripled between 2005 and 2018. By 2018, there were 2,692 pharmacists and 1,998 assistant pharmacists in the country.

Between 2016 and 2019 alone, the number of Omani health workers shot up by over 40%.

Omanisation Is Nothing New

Oman’s been rolling out its Omanisation programme since 1988. The goal? Replace expat workers with trained Omani nationals, sector by sector. While oil, gas, and government departments have made big strides (some hitting up to 90% Omanisation), others—like construction—are still catching up.

Pharmacy, it seems, is next in line for a local-first future.

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