The state-of-the-art e-payment solution will support the delivery of e-services of the public sector and will also assist the private sector's moves into e-commerce. ePG will enable efficient electronic transactions and simplify the processing of payment transactions for electronic services within the country. It will be operational in line with Oman's forthcoming e-Government Gateway, the UBAR Portal.
Read more: Oman signs agreements to set up e-payment gateway
The first to be launched will be an e-Referral Engine, which was successfully tested in a pilot programme in August. The programme will replace paper-based referrals between institutions. It will be initially deployed to tertiary hospitals in the coming months and gradually be extended to other hospitals and health centres in the next year, according to a release by the MoH.
The Sultanate's E-government initiatives have made major strides with announcement on the operator of the common gateway Ubar portal expected within a week. "The Ubar portal will provide e-services of the government and the selected partner will be announced within a week," Dr. Salim Sultan al Ruzaiqi, Chief Executive Officer of Information Technology Authority (ITA) at the Ministry of National Economy, said.
Read more: Oman: E-gateway Ubar portal to be awarded next week
The Sultanate of Oman’s national ID card program is the first smart card-based e-government solution deployed in the Middle East. French smart card supplier Gemalto has said it will supply cards for the project, as well as provide an update of the current National Registration System.
Read more: Oman moves to second phase of national ID program