$176 million Saudi grant to finance five health projects

AMMAN — The government and the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) on Tuesday signed five grant agreements worth $176 million (around JD125 million), as part of Saudi Arabia’s contribution to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) grant to the Kingdom.

One deal covers a $70 million grant to establish and furnish Princess Basma Hospital, while another, worth $6 million, entails building laboratories for the Jordan Food and Drug Administration, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The agreements also include establishing a $12 million X-ray centre and implementing rehabilitation and maintenance works at the King Hussein Medical Centre at a cost of $37 million.

Moreover, $52 million will go to financing the King Hussein Cancer Centre’s expansion project.

During a GCC summit in December 2011, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar decided to extend a grant of $5 billion over a five-year period to support development projects in Jordan, with each state paying $1.25 billion.

Planning Minister Ibrahim Saif and SFD Deputy President Yousef Bassam signed the agreements on behalf of the Jordanian and Saudi governments.

HRH Princess Ghida Talal, chairperson of the King Hussein Cancer Foundation’s (KHCF) board of trustees, HH Princess Dina Mired, director general of KHCF, and Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour attended the signing ceremony at the Prime Ministry.

Ensour thanked Saudi Arabia for its assistance to Jordan under the directives of late King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, Petra reported.

He noted that the Kingdom provided Saudi Arabia with lists of developmental projects in the infrastructure, education, medicine, engineering, road and railway sectors.

Bassam stressed that the agreements pave the way for further cooperation between the two countries, noting that they are aimed at developing the health and service sectors.

He also said Saudi Arabia and Jordan have signed memoranda to finance projects in various sectors at a total cost of $900 million, in addition to the soft loans the SFD already offers to Jordan.