Kingdom witnessed growth in medical tourism in 2009

By Khetam Malkawi

AMMAN – The Kingdom’s medical tourism sector witnessed a rise in patients last year, the Private Hospitals Association (PHA) announced on Sunday.

Private hospitals across the country witnessed a 10 per cent increase in foreign patients in 2009, PHA President Fawzi Hammouri said in a press conference yesterday.

According to PHA figures released yesterday, 220,000 patients from across the world received treatment in the Kingdom’s private hospitals last year, up from 200,000 in 2008 and 190,000 in 2007.

Iraqis represented the largest number of foreign patients seeking treatment in the Kingdom, accounting for 19 per cent, followed by Palestinians (16 per cent) and Saudi Arabians (15 per cent).

Yemeni patients were fourth, constituting 14 per cent of the total, followed by Sudanese and Libyan patients at 13 per cent and 9 per cent respectively.

“The quality and competitiveness of healthcare in Jordan have made the country an attractive destination for foreigners seeking advanced treatments that are unavailable or unaffordable in their home countries,” Hammouri noted.

He added that the majority of foreign patients arriving in Jordan seek treatment for cardiovascular diseases, plastic surgery and cancer treatment, among others.

Considered one of the main contributors to the national economy, medical tourism brings in revenues that reach $1 billion annually.

Hammouri added that initial figures for 2010 received from the 48 private hospitals affiliated with the association are “promising” and indicate that the number of medical tourists will continue to increase this year.

Over the past 18 months, in cooperation with the Ministry of Labour, 500 nurses were trained and provided with job opportunities at private hospitals, he said, noting that four private hospitals received accreditation from the Health Care Accreditation Council during the period.

jordantimes