AMMAN, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Jordan strives to promote medical tourism as the industry is gaining more recognition in the Middle East and contributing to the kingdom's economic growth, business insiders have said.
Last week, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) honored Jordan as a regional center and destination for medical tourism in the Middle East, which officials and experts consider an economically strategic chance to accelerate the development in this field.
Fawzi Hamouri, president of the Private Hospitals Association, said the UNWTO's endorsement was credited to the cumulative efforts jointly made by the public and private sectors for decades, and would further strengthen the kingdom's role on the global tourism map.
"This is an acknowledgment of Jordan's medical achievement, which is characterized by comprehensive services and low costs compared to global standards," Hamouri said.
Hailing the role of medical tourism as a boon to the economy, Ilham Jehad, an economic news editor at the Jordan Press Foundation, noted that medical tourism could have a multiplier effect on enhancing employment while advancing the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry itself.
Calling for maximizing the advantages of the UN recognition, Jehad suggested promoting the kingdom's medical services in the global market by increasing cooperation with travel agencies worldwide.
Mahmoud Al-Khasawneh, a member of the board of the Association of Travel and Tourism Agents, told Xinhua on Tuesday that Jordan boasts a mild climate and rich medical resorts, such as the Dead Sea, Wadi Rum, and Aqaba while featuring political stability and security as well.
Al-Khasawneh called on the authorities to promptly upgrade services for the tourism and medical sectors, including reducing administrative fees, taxes, and energy bills and improving accessibility to medical resorts across the kingdom.
Jordan's Health Minister Firas Hawari said during a UNWTO conference on June 8 that health care and medical tourism are among the priorities of economic growth in Jordan, and the government is working to utilize the potential, capabilities, and advantages of the industry.
Jordan has received nearly one million patients from 71 countries over the past five years, Jordan's Tourism Minister Makram Qaisi said during the conference, adding highly qualified medical and pharmaceutical workers, as well as affordable services, are among the kingdom's advantages.
Noting the number of physicians in Jordan reached 30,000, with 26.6 doctors per 10,000 people in 2021, the minister noted the kingdom holds a high doctors-to-population ratio, exceeding the global average of 17.2 doctors per 10,000 people.
The state-run Petra news agency reported last week that the Jordanian government is stepping up efforts to develop medical tourism and has introduced several supportive measures, including setting a simplified visa classification for medical tourism, promoting all-inclusive medical tourism packages, and launching promotional campaigns. ■
