Concerns grow over healthcare service quality with increased insurance coverage: Jordan

Concerns grow over healthcare service quality with increased insurance coverage: Jordan

AMMAN — Over 70 per cent of Jordanians are covered by health insurance. However, there are concerns about the healthcare service quality, particularly the waiting times and availability of essential medical treatments and hospital beds.

Minister of Health Firas Al Hawari said during an interview with Al Mamlaka TV that the percentage of Jordanians covered by health insurance from the public, private and armed forces sectors has reached around 72 per cent.

Hawari explained that the ministry added over 65,000 Jordanians to the insurance coverage last year.

Hawari pointed out that the ministry extended coverage to beneficiaries of second and third insurance grades by contracting the services of private hospitals, enabling individuals to enrol in health insurance for a very minimal fee.

He added that the ministry is working towards achieving Jordan’s commitment to comprehensive healthcare coverage by the year 2030. The realisation of this commitment started with a project that defines different health insurance packages and its pricing.

He estimated the completion of this project by the end of the current year, indicating that it is being carried out in collaboration with the World Health Organization.

The Ministry of Health provides free health insurance for those above the age of 65 and under the age