Deputising for King, Hawari inaugurates 7th Medical Tourism World Summit

AMMAN — Deputising for His Majesty King Abdullah, Health Minister Feras Al Hawari on Saturday inaugurated the seventh Medical Tourism World Summit, which hosts both local and international participants. 

Inaugurating the event, which is coorganised by the Talal Abu Ghazaleh Global and Pioneer Road, Hawari said that the Kingdom has many medical specialisations and various achievements in diagnosing and treating health conditions through surgical interventions, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

The minister added that the government is continuing with implementing the Royal directives to support medical tourism through speeding up the development process of health services, expanding health infrastructure, increasing the efficiency of human resources and holding partnerships between health ministry and private hospitals.

He noted that the number of public and private hospitals has increased to 127 with a total bed capacity of 18,614, pointing out that this increase, coinciding with the availability of tourist spas, has contributed to the promotion of medical tourism in the Kingdom.

Hawari said that medical tourism in Jordan has begun to recover from the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In 2020, the number of medical tourists in the Kingdom decreased to some 111,000 compared with some 235,000 in 2019, but in 2021 increased to some 157,000 medical tourists, said Hawari, noting that the first half of 2022 has already seen around 85,000 patients. 

Tourism Minister Nayef Fayez said that Jordan enjoys a “great opportunity” in the medical tourism sector due to its various areas rich with hot mineral water, moderate weather and beautiful nature, in addition to the distinguished hospitals and doctors who contribute to the Kingdom’s prestigious status worldwide.

Director General of the Jordan Tourism Board Abdul Razzaq Arabiyat said that the board uses digital technology to promote tourism and highlight diversity after “things returned to normal”, through various programmes, including medical, cultural and historical tourism, recreation, adventure tourism, business tourism and conferences.

President of the Arab Tourism Organisation Bandar Al Fahid said that Jordan is a key medical tourism destination at the local, regional and international levels, and was among the 10 most advanced countries in this field.

Director General of the Royal Medical Services (RMS) Brig. Gen. Yousef Zureikat said that the RMS is committed to develop the medical tourism sector, where it began in 2007 with a “serious and specialised” project that would serve this domain and provide quality healthcare services for patients from abroad who seek treatment in Jordan in RMS hospitals.