Jordan turns into lucrative medical tourism mecca

Jordan established the first private hospital in 1923, has developed pharmaceutical industries since the 60s of the past century and has become a favorite mecca by many Arabs and foreigners seeking medical treatment.
Jordan, which began dispatching students to top medical universities abroad since the 60s, has lured patients from 50 Arab and foreign countries and has built up to 64 hospitals, cost of which is estimated at USD three billion.
Experts estimate proceeds of medical tourism at USD 1.2 billion per annum. The figure covers not only profits of the hospitals and affiliate facilities, but also earnings posted by a chain of therapeutical spas and medical facilities in the north, the south and the Dead Sea.
Jordan, which has a boastful record of operations for transplanting various organs, hosted Palestinians who were wounded in Israeli offensives in 2008, 2012 and 2014. The country also received other Arabs, namely Syrians, Libyans, Yemenis and Sudanese, wounded in violence in their countries.
Met'eb Wuraikat, in charge of the medical tourism at the Jordanian Ministry of Health, says the Kingdom's medical and health sectors are top in terms of proceeds and contributions to the gross domestic product (GDP).
The public medical sector has succeeded in offering adequate medical care for citizens, has played a major role in preventing spread of communicable diseases, said Wuraikat, also indicating that this healthy environment has encouraged patients to flock to the Kingdom by hundreds to seek medical help and treatment.
Totally, there are 103 public and private hospitals in the country, in addition to 700 medical centers. There are 13,000 beds, including 5,000 at the government hospitals, he said, also noting that up to 5,321 doctors serve in the public health sector.
Fouzi Al-Hammouri, the head of private hospitals association, said up to 6,000 beds are available at the private hospitals, adding investments in this sector are valued at USD three billion. Number of staff in the sector amounts to 30,000, in addition to 50,000 others who provide diverse, affiliated back-up services.
Al-Hammouri revealed that 250,000 people visited Jordan last year for medical treatment, noting that the country has become the number-one mecca for Arabs and non-Arabs seeking top medical treatment at reasonable costs. As an example, a cardiac surgery in Jordan costs no more than USD 10,000, as compared to up to USD 150,000 in the United States of America.
Number of Jordanian doctors serving the public and private health sectors is estimated at more than 17,000, along with 6,000 dentists, 10,000 pharmacists and more than 18,000 nurses In some of the latest moves to keep the sector up-to-date, authorities established last year the airborne emergency services center to reach patients and injured in remote areas.
Touching on the local pharmaceutical industries, Mazen Tantash, of the Jordanian Chamber of Commerce, said the Jordanian factories export up to 80 percent of their medical products, putting annual medical products at the value of USD 876 million. Jordan is the sole country in the region, medical exports of which are larger than those imported.