02-08-2025
Omani doctor's tech firm joins forces with US healthcare giant
Muscat – An Omani doctor's tech venture, born from the chaos of overburdened hospital wards in the UK's National Health Service (NHS), has joined forces with one of the largest healthcare staffing firms in the United States.
Aya Healthcare, based in San Diego, has acquired Locum's Nest, a British company that connects NHS hospitals with healthcare professionals through a mobile app. The platform helps fill staffing gaps more efficiently and has already saved the NHS over £750mn since its launch in 2016. The company was co-founded by Dr Ahmed Shahrabani and Dr Nicholas Andreou, both NHS physicians at the time.
Dr Shahrabani, who was born in Muscat and studied at the British School in Madinat Qaboos, told Muscat Daily that the idea for Locum's Nest came from witnessing daily inefficiencies in the hospital system.
'As a junior doctor, I saw time lost to rota gaps being filled through last-minute phone calls and emails. It was not safe and not sustainable,' he said. 'We created Locum's Nest to fix that – to give doctors and nurses more time, clarity and control so they can focus on their patients.' Dr Ahmed Shahrabani (R) and Dr Nicholas Andreou
Today, the app supports over 70,000 clinicians across the UK. Following the acquisition by Aya Healthcare, Locum's Nest plans to expand its reach nationwide with Dr Shahrabani continuing as CEO. 'Our mission is not changing – it's accelerating,' he said. 'This partnership gives us the infrastructure to scale while staying true to our core: empowering clinicians and improving patient care.'
Though the platform will continue to operate under the Locum's Nest brand, the acquisition aligns two leading healthcare staffing innovators on either side of the Atlantic. Aya Healthcare is the largest healthcare talent software and staffing company in the US, known for building flexible, tech-driven solutions for hospitals and health systems.
Dr Shahrabani, who still practises medicine in North Central London, believes Omani youth can learn from his journey. 'My advice is simple: go for it. Start building and learning now. Oman has immense potential, especially in healthcare,' he said. 'The infrastructure is there. With the right mindset and innovation from within, Oman can become a regional hub.'
He also expressed pride in his Omani roots, describing his school days in Muscat as formative. 'Those were some of the happiest years of my life. That foundation shaped who I am today.'
Outside of medicine and business, Dr Shahrabani is a semi-professional race car driver in a British national championship, a tennis player and an off-roading enthusiast.
'Entrepreneurship is a lot like medicine – what sets you apart is how you connect with people,' he said. 'Communication, empathy and building relationships matter more than any textbook.'
He welcomed aspiring entrepreneurs from Oman to reach out to him on LinkedIn, adding, 'I'd be honoured to support the next generation in any way I can.'
