Muscat, Oman, 29th January 2008

Welcare World Health Systems (WWHS), the region’s premier private sector health treatment facility, has joined basmaCard, the Sultanate’s first chip based multi-partner rewards program pioneered by BankMuscat and omanoil in association with Nawras and Lulu Hypermarkets. WWHS has now become the sixteenth partner outlet in this highly attractive rewards program.

Welcare is a member of the Emirates Healthcare Limited, a joint venture among the Dubai-based Varkey Group,Medi-Clinic Corporation and General Electric Healthcare. The Welcare Diagnostic and Treatment Center opened in May 2007 in Al Khuwair with an experienced team of doctors and support staff for all medical requirements with the highest international standards.

Adil Uppel, Marketing Executive of Welcare Diagnostic and Treatment Center, expressed, “Providing a holistic range of medical treatments and diagnostic services in Oman, Welcare is a vital new member to the basmaCard rewards program and provides a unique service to cardholders.” He added, “The clinic is committed to delivering modern healthcare services of high quality and cost effectiveness as well as incorporating a whole new aspect of care in the community.” basma cardholders receive 150 basmaPoints for each Riyal spent at the Clinic.

Sulaiman Al Harthy, Deputy General Manager of Consumer Banking at BankMuscat said, “We welcome Welcare to the basma family. As the largest banking entity in Oman, it has always been BankMuscat’s endeavor to provide a sustainable level of convenience and quality service to all its customers. This new venture will simply increase our credit cardholders’ chances of gaining valuable offers and amenities, which we believe, will make shopping with the BankMuscat credit card and basmaCard much more rewarding."

Oman Oil Marketing Company’s Senior Manager of Card Business, Jamal Al Azki said, “We strive to build a robust group of merchant partners that offer a wide variety of products and services to satisfy the sophisticated needs of basma cardholders today. Welcare’s induction to the program provides easy access to treatments at the clinic, adding to basma’s increasingly diverse range of benefits and privileges.”

The innovative rewards scheme allows cardholders to collect basmaPoints every time the card is used at any of the partner outlets. Merchants include: omanoil, Lulu, Nawras, Mumtaz Mahal, Woodlands, Golden Oryx, Capital Stores, Damas, Zahara Travel, Avis, Patchi, Bateel, Glamour, OHI Electronics and now Welcare. The basmaPoints can also be easily redeemed at any of the basma partner outlets. More information on basmaRewards can be obtained online: www.basmaoman.com