Health Care in Jordan

When preparing to study abroad, it is important to take the time to familiarize yourself with the health care system of your host country. This way, you know how to prepare yourself and what to expect should you become ill or injured during your stay. Luckily, if you are planning on studying in Jordan, you don’t have to worry about poor quality health care; the quality of health care offered in Jordan is very high!

Health Care System

Jordan has quite an advanced health care system. The country was ranked to by the World Bank to be the number one health care services provider in the region and among the top five in the world. The country’s health care system is divided between public and private institutions. In the public sector, the Ministry of Health operates 1,245 primary health care centers and 27 hospitals, accounting for 37 percent of all hospital beds in the country; the military’s Royal Medical Services runs 11 hospitals, providing 24 percent of all beds. The private sector provides 36 percent of all hospital beds, distributed amongst 56 hospitals.

Jordan also boasts a number of international world-class health care facilities, such as King Hussein Cancer Center. This specialized cancer treatment facility is considered to be one of the best cancer treatment institutions the world has to offer.

Quality of Health Care

The health care offered in Jordan is very high quality, vouched for by the numerous international and domestic accreditations that most hospitals in the country has earned. Jordan has its own health care accreditation council in place, which is itself accredited by the ISQua, ensuring that health care in the country meets international standards.

Jordan has an extremely high level of medical care; all doctors are proficient in English, and many have trained in Europe or North America. Most medicines are obtainable over the counter, although some medicines such as valium and analgesics like codeine are available only by prescription. Antibiotics are readily available and are very reasonably priced.

Emergency medical treatment for cases that do not require hospitalization is free in Jordan. It is, however, recommended that students avoid being hospitalized if there is any alternative. Although the quality of health care is quite good, the levels of comfort and privacy in hospitals in Jordan are not quite up to Western standards.

Infection Control in Jordan is very strong and well monitored by the government. The disease infection rates in the country are very minimal, such as TB and HIV, which are the lowest in the region and the world. Some diseases, such as Malaria and Cholera, have not existed in Jordan since the 80s.

In the past forty years, Jordan medical services have had remarkable achievements; for example, Jordan was the first country in the Middle East to perform an open heart surgery, Laparoscopic surgery, heart transplant, kidney and liver transplant, bone marrow transplant, and the first IVF baby born in the Middle East was born in Jordan.

Additionally, the health care system in Jordan offers extremely attractive costs, often as low as 10-30% of US costs.