Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Prime Minister, Omar Razzaz, affirmed the importance of preserving Jordan's competitive advantage as one of the main destinations of medical tourism in the Middle East region.

The premier, during his meeting at the Prime Ministry with members of the Board of Directors of the Private Hospitals Association (PHA), pointed to the economic and social importance Jordan attaches to medical tourism for its role in activating the economic movement of related sectors and services.

Razzaz expressed the government's readiness to solve the obstacles and challenges facing the sector, which aims to facilitate procedures for obtaining visas by patients coming for treatment in the Kingdom, urging the association to have a role in this regard in coordination with the concerned authorities.

Razzaz said the Medical Liability Law has contributed significantly to attracting medical tourism, as some countries require such a law in place to send their patients for treatment.

Discussing ways to stimulate the sector, Razzaz highlighted the importance of strengthening marketing efforts for therapeutic tourism in the Kingdom, spurring the Jordanian Tourism Promotion Authority and the Jordanian embassies abroad to have a prominent role in this regard.

On his part, the President of the Private Hospitals Association, Fawzi Hammouri, gave a briefing on the reality of the Kingdom's medical tourism and the challenges facing the sector.

With 70 private hospitals across the Kingdom, Hammouri said this number constitutes 60% of the total number of the country's treatment facilities, with JD3 billion investment.

Hammouri noted the medical tourism is receiving attention from His Majesty King Abdullah II and the government, adding Jordan is always qualified to be a destination for medical tourism, thanks to medical progress, competitive prices, stability, diplomatic relations and the role of the Ministry of Health in the elimination of communicable diseases.

Citing obstacles, he said one of the most important challenges facing medical tourism and private hospitals is related to visa obtainment for restricted nationalities,as well as regional competition, the accumulation of hospital debts, debts on Libyan patients, and the high operating costs, especially the electricity bill.

He called for facilitating the procedures for hospitals to obtain solar energy and reconsidering the pricing of medicines and medical supplies.

He also stressed the need to adopt the viewpoints of the PHA for legislation related to the medical sector, and called for the acceleration of the amendment of the private hospitals regulations.