Oman’s Dhamani scheme makes basic private health insurance compulsory for every private-sector worker, with the employer footing the bill. This guide explains who is covered, the minimum benefits the law sets, and how claims flow through the Dhamani platform.
What Dhamani is
Dhamani is Oman’s unified electronic health insurance platform, built to connect insurers, third-party administrators (TPAs) and healthcare providers on a single system. Rather than being an insurer itself, it is the digital backbone that verifies a patient’s cover, routes approval requests and settles claims between clinics and insurance companies in real time. The scheme has been rolled out in phases since 2023 and, by 2026, extends across private-sector employees, their dependents, and even tourists and short-stay visitors.
Who must have cover, and who pays
The obligation sits squarely with the employer. Under Oman’s rules, private-sector companies must arrange and pay the full premium for their employees’ basic Dhamani cover; staff are not asked to contribute for the minimum policy. Employers may, at their discretion, extend cover to employees’ dependents and add richer benefits such as maternity, dental or optical care. If you are an expatriate on a work permit, your company should already have registered you on Dhamani. When you renew your Oman resident card, valid health cover is part of the wider compliance picture your employer manages.
The minimum cover you are entitled to
The law sets a floor, not a ceiling. The basic Dhamani policy carries an annual limit of OMR 4,500 and must include a defined bundle of services. Anything beyond this is an optional upgrade the employer can choose to buy.
| Element | Basic Dhamani cover (2026) |
|---|---|
| Annual policy limit | OMR 4,500 |
| Inpatient sub-limit | OMR 3,000 |
| Repatriation of remains | Up to OMR 1,000 |
| Outpatient care | Included, within the annual limit |
| Emergency treatment | Included |
| Doctor consultations | Included |
| Diagnostics & lab tests | Included |
| Prescribed medication | Included |
The mandated benefits therefore span inpatient (hospital) stays, emergency services, physician consultations, outpatient treatment, diagnostic and laboratory tests, and medicines prescribed by a licensed doctor. Maternity, dental and vision care are common employer add-ons rather than guaranteed parts of the basic package.
How the network and claims work
Because Dhamani links providers and insurers electronically, most treatment at a network clinic or hospital is cashless. When you check in, the facility uses the platform to confirm your active cover and to request approval for the treatment. Approved claims are settled directly between the provider and your insurer or its TPA, so you generally do not pay upfront for covered services within your limits. If you are treated outside the network, you may need to pay and then claim reimbursement, subject to your policy terms.
Practical tips for employees
- Ask your HR team which insurer and TPA holds your Dhamani policy, and keep your member or card details on your phone.
- Confirm a clinic is in-network before a planned visit to keep treatment cashless.
- Watch the sub-limits: routine outpatient care draws on the same OMR 4,500 annual pool as everything else.
- If you support a family, check whether your employer has extended cover to dependents or whether you need a separate policy.
Why the scheme was introduced
Dhamani is part of a wider push to ease pressure on Oman’s public hospitals and to guarantee that the country’s large private-sector workforce, much of it expatriate, can access private care without being turned away over cost. By standardising a minimum benefit and settling claims electronically, the authorities aim to cut disputes between clinics and insurers and to speed up treatment approvals. For workers, the practical upshot is certainty: a legally defined floor of cover that does not depend on the goodwill of an individual employer.
What basic cover does not include
The OMR 4,500 basic package is designed for essential medical needs, not comprehensive family healthcare. Benefits that commonly sit outside the minimum, and which an employer may add voluntarily, include maternity and childbirth, dental treatment, optical and vision care, and elective or cosmetic procedures. If any of these matter to you, ask your employer whether an enhanced plan is available, or budget for a top-up policy. It is also worth checking the geographical scope: a basic Oman policy is built around treatment inside the Sultanate, so cover for treatment abroad is typically limited or excluded.
Common questions
- Can I keep cover if I change jobs? Your Dhamani policy is tied to your employer, so a new employer arranges fresh cover. Confirm the handover so you are not left with a gap.
- Do I pay anything at the clinic? For covered services at a network provider, treatment is generally cashless within your limits; you may pay for anything above the limit or outside the benefit.
- Are dependents automatically covered? No, cover for a spouse and children is at the employer’s discretion unless your contract says otherwise.
Where it fits in your move to Oman
Health cover is one piece of settling in. New arrivals typically line it up alongside residency paperwork, banking and utilities. If you are still weighing a move, our overview of working in Oman as an expat sets out the wider picture, while the Oman labour law and end-of-service guide explains the other benefits your employer owes you.
Bottom line
For most expatriate workers, Dhamani is a benefit your employer must provide and pay for, giving you at least OMR 4,500 a year of core medical cover with mostly cashless treatment across the network. Know your insurer, use in-network facilities, and treat the annual and inpatient sub-limits as the numbers that really matter day to day.
Primary source: the Oman Ministry of Health.
