Medical field representatives highlight sector needs in light of UNWTO declaration

AMMAN — Stakeholders in the medical field say that the UN World Tourism Organisation’s (UNWTO) recent declaration of Jordan as a regional hub for medical and wellness tourism heightens the sector’s responsibility to act effectively and to intensify efforts.

“Obtaining accreditation from the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) will enhance Jordan’s status as a medical tourism destination and increase competitiveness at the regional and international levels,” former president of the Jordan Private Hospitals Association (PHA) Fawzi Hammouri told The Jordan Times.

In 2022, over 190,000 tourists visited the Kingdom in search of medical care, according to the PHA. During the first five months of 2023, over 75,000 medical tourists came to Jordan.

According to Hammouri, over 58 hospitals in the Kingdom, which account for around 95 per cent of medical sector, receive medical visitors from abroad.

“There are undoubtedly challenges for the private hospitals sector to overcome in order to have an elevated quality of medical care,” Hammouri said, noting that many challenges have been addressed, but still an evolving set of issues has remained.

To maintain the medical tourism sector’s competitiveness, government support is necessary to resolve the indebtedness of private hospitals, he said. 

The volume of investment in the sector surpasses JD4 billion, and there are 30,000 doctors currently practising in Jordan along with a total of 40,000 people employed in the medical field, he said. 

“Now there is a need to increase training activities for the people employed in the tourism sector to improve the service,” particularly after operating the accreditation from the UNWTO, Vice Chairman of the Jordan Inbound Tour Operators Association, Awni Kawar, told The Jordan Times.

The Jordanian healthcare system has a longstanding reputation for its quality services in the region and the world, he added.