Key points
- Muscat had 1,563,193 registered residents at the end of August 2026, 612,670 Omanis and 950,523 expatriates.1
- Article 5 of the Personal Data Protection Law bars processing health data without a permit from the Ministry, under the controls set in the Executive Regulation.3
- Royal Decree 68/2026 widened the definition of health data to cover the care a person receives, and applies the law to processing of data about people in Oman wherever it happens.4
- Oman's General Policy for the Safe and Ethical Use of AI Systems, published on 1 April 2025, sets the national frame for responsible AI.5
- wai keeps each Muscat clinic's records in Oman, and a person approves every message before it sends.
Summary
A Muscat clinic can use AI for notes and patient messages under Oman's Personal Data Protection Law, issued by Royal Decree 6/2022 and amended by Royal Decree 68/2026. Processing health data needs a permit from the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, and with wai a person approves every reply and the doctor signs every note.
Every Arabic and English enquiry answered before the morning list, and every note signed before the doctor leaves. Muscat governorate had 1,563,193 registered residents at the end of August 2026, and 60.8% of them were expatriates.1
Part of the Oman MOH hub, with the framework explained, a readiness checklist and 7 guides.
See it in your clinicThirty minutes on your own patients and doctors.
Request a demoSee an Arabic email from a Muscat family become an approved reply with two open times, in fifteen minutes with a clinician who uses wai daily.
| Body or law | Rule | What to ask | How wai meets it |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDPL, Article 5 | Health data processed only with a ministry permit | Does the clinic hold the permit | Records hosted in Oman, set up with the clinic |
| PDPL, consent and rights | Consent first, with rights to withdraw, correct, delete and be told of a breach | How are consent and requests recorded | Every message and approval logged and exportable |
| Royal Decree 68/2026 | Wider health data definition, law applies wherever processing happens | Does any processing happen abroad | Processing set up in Oman for each clinic |
| National AI policy 2025 | Responsible, safe adoption of AI | Who decides and who signs | wai drafts, a person approves, the doctor signs |
| Ministry of Health | Private establishments overseen by a directorate general | Is the clinic's licence current | The licensed doctor edits and signs every note |
The private care market in Muscat
The National Centre for Statistics and Information counted 1,563,193 registered residents in Muscat governorate at the end of August 2026, up 2.8% on a year earlier.1 Omanis made up 39.2% of them, and expatriates numbered 950,523.1
Nationally, the NCSI population clock showed 3,080,461 Omanis and 2,386,618 expatriates on 14 October 2026.2 The Ministry of Health's eHealth portal tracks electronic sick leave approved by the private sector alongside its own services.6
The rules a clinic in Muscat works under
Private clinics answer to the Ministry of Health, which oversees them through its Directorate General of Private Health Establishments and handles health regulation through its Undersecretary for Planning and Health Regulation.6
The Personal Data Protection Law was issued by Royal Decree 6/2022 on 9 February 2022 and took effect a year after publication.3 Article 5 prohibits processing genetic, biometric or health data without a permit from the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, under the controls and procedures of the Executive Regulation.3 The law asks for the data subject's consent before processing and gives patients the right to withdraw it, to have data corrected or deleted and to be told of a breach.3
Royal Decree 68/2026, issued on 3 September 2026, redefines health data to include data about the care a person receives that reveals their health status, and applies the law to processing of personal data of people in Oman whether it happens inside or outside the country.4 The national AI policy, published on 1 April 2025, frames the responsible and safe adoption of AI across sectors.5
wai hosts each clinic's records in its own country, under that country's rules. We set this up with your clinic. wai is compliant with these rules and built for clinics in Muscat. Every approval and signature is recorded in an event log the clinic can export when a patient asks what happened to their data.7
The languages Muscat patients write in
With 950,523 expatriates among Muscat's registered residents, a front desk reads Arabic and English messages side by side with many other languages.1
For Muscat families wai drafts Arabic first, and it works in any language.98 A patient can answer intake questions by voice in Arabic or in their own language, and the doctor reads the answers in English before the visit.8
What a demo shows in Muscat
An email in Arabic arrives at 23:15 from a son in Al Khuwair asking whether his father can see the diabetologist early on Sunday. wai files it in the family's thread, reads the doctor's busy times from Google Calendar, Outlook or Apple Calendar, and drafts an Arabic reply with the two earliest open times. The coordinator approves it at 7:45.
A call missed during the afternoon clinic becomes a drafted text in the caller's thread, and an English web form from an engineer in Qurum gets an English draft. In the consultation wai drafts the note from a conversation that moves between Arabic and English, the diabetologist edits and signs it, and the referral letter waits for the same signature.
For health systems, government and insurers in Muscat
Hospital groups, insurers and public programmes in Oman can commission a system built on wai around one pathway, such as diabetes follow-up, with records hosted in Oman and data, configuration and model rights agreed in the contract. The work fits the national AI policy's frame for responsible adoption, and the approach is on the organisations page.5
Where to start
First, confirm the clinic holds the Article 5 permit to process health data, or apply for it.3 Second, update the clinic's patient notices for the wider definition of health data in Royal Decree 68/2026.4
Third, write a breach routine so patients are told of any breach, as the law requires.3 Fourth, count last month's emails and missed calls by language and hour, then book a Muscat demo and bring that count. Missed call follow-up shows the reply patterns that work.
Send us a week of Muscat emails and missed calls by language and hour, and see the drafts your coordinator would approve.
Frequently asked questions
Does a Muscat clinic need a permit to process health data?
Yes. Article 5 of the Personal Data Protection Law bars processing health data without a permit from the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology.3
What changed in Oman's data law in 2026?
Royal Decree 68/2026 widened the definition of health data and applies the law to processing of data about people in Oman, inside or outside the country.4
Who oversees private clinics in Muscat?
The Ministry of Health, through its Directorate General of Private Health Establishments.6
Where are Muscat patient records hosted?
wai hosts each clinic's records in its own country, under that country's rules. We set this up with your clinic.
Does wai reply in Arabic?
Does the AI answer patients on its own?
No. Every reply is a draft until a person at the clinic approves and sends it, and the diabetologist signs each note. Human approval of patient messages covers how the approval works.
Sources
- 1National Centre for Statistics and Information, 2026Monthly Statistical Bulletin, September 2026, Table 1 total population registered by governorateRead 15 October 2026Read source
- 2National Centre for Statistics and Information, 2026NCSI portal, population clockRead 15 October 2026Read source
- 3Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, 2022Personal Data Protection Law, Royal Decree 6/2022 (Arabic text, Official Gazette 1429)Read 15 October 2026Read source
- 4Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, 2026Royal Decree 68/2026 amending some provisions of the Personal Data Protection Law (Arabic text, Official Gazette 1664)Read 15 October 2026Read source
- 5Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, 2025General Policy for the Safe and Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence SystemsRead 15 October 2026Read source
- 6Ministry of Health, Sultanate of Oman, 2026Ministry of Health eHealth Portal, home pageRead 15 October 2026Read source
- 7wai, 2026Security at waiRead 15 October 2026Read source
- 8wai, 2026wai changelog, intake answered by voice in any languageRead 15 October 2026Read source
- 9wai, 2026wai changelog, intake answered by voice in any languageRead 15 October 2026Read source
Every Muscat family answered before the morning list, every note signed before the doctor leaves.
Fifteen minutes with a clinician who uses wai daily, on your own inbox and diary. We reply within one working day.
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