Health Ministry completes 70% of strategic plans, projects in 2024 —Minister

AMMAN — Minister of Health Firas Hawari on Thursday said that the completion rate under the ministry's strategic plan and Economic Modernisation Vision stood at about 70 per cent in 2024.

Hawari made the remarks during a meeting with the Senate's Health, Environment and Population Committee, headed by Senator Yassin Husban, to discuss key challenges facing the Kingdom's health sector, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

The minister also referred to the health financing reform plan and comprehensive health coverage, noting that the first phase will be "implemented soon."

He added that the ministry also received the King Abdullah II Award for Excellence in Government Performance and Transparency in its 9th edition for 2024.

Hawari said that the World Health Organisation had decided to declare Jordan a country free of leprosy, adding that the Kingdom joined the Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines (Global Platform) in 2024.

During the same year, the Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II Hospital was expanded, while 17 health centres were opened and 53 others were maintained across the Kingdom.

He added that the expansion project of the Maan Public Hospital had started, referring to the launch of the Jordanian Health Forum, Service Recipient's Voice Unit, National Strategy to Combat Tobacco and Smoking in All Its Forms 2024-2030 and the related National Action Plan and National Cancer Registry reports for the years 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Husban said that there are still "big numbers" of Jordanians who are not covered by health insurance, referring to citizens' increasing expenditure on health to reach 29 per cent.