Kamal Busaidy, BDS, FDSRCS assistant professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery University of Texas Dental Branch
Implementation of Trainee Program with UTHSCH and the Sultanate of Oman Minstry of Health
Dr. Kamal Busaidy is an assistant professor with the University of Texas Dental Branch in Houston.  Before UTDB, he worked for the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in Oman.  During this time, he established many contacts and collaborative relationships with the Ministry of Health of the Sultanate of Oman. The Sultanate of Oman is located in the southeastern corner of the Arabian Peninsula with a population of approximately 3 million.  The Ministry of Health (MoH) serves as the main agency of government providing curative care to the people of Oman.  It is responsible for the health care centers and administration at the nation, regional, and local levels.  The MoH ensures that no Omani is denied benefit of medical care. Dr. Busaidy’s project involves several aspects which fall under a memorandum of understanding.  The first aspect is establishing a memorandum of understanding with the MoH.  The second aspect is establishing a program agreement that would allow trainees with the MoH to work as residents to supplement their experience, and the third would allow UT faculty to provide workshops and lectures to Omani trainees in the Sultanate of Oman. The trainees would undertake four years of instruction in oral and maxillofacial surgery and related disciplines. Once certified, these surgeons will be posted to different areas of Oman to expand the provision of oral and maxillofacial surgical services. “I was able to use a portion of the funds last December to discuss the opportunity with various officials which was able to get things moving,” explains Dr. Busaidy, “the Memorandum of Understanding and the Program Agreement have been written and we are currently waiting approval from the MoH.” Dr. Busaidy is confident that the programs will stimulate further cooperation between the MoH of the Sultanate of Oman and the UTHSC at Houston. Once approval is granted, Dr. Busaidy feels the program would be able to be implemented within a couple of months.  He hopes to complete the agreements by the end of year.