JMA demands gov’t uphold agreement increasing doctors’ allowances

AMMAN — The Jordan Medical Association (JMA) is demanding that the government uphold the terms of an agreement concerned with the salary allowances of doctors at the Ministry of Health.

 The agreement was signed by the Health Ministry and the JMA on November 15, 2022, according to Maha Fakhoury, a JMA board member and a member of the association’s committee for doctors at the Ministry of Health. 

One term of the agreement provides an increase in the allowance for full-time work, added to the basic salary of doctors in ministry hospitals. The agreement bumps the allowance from 35 to 55 per cent, and it includes the allowance in social security subscriptions and pensions, she said. 

This increase, which will cost JD10 million, is currently pending the approval of the Prime Ministry, according to Fakhoury. 

“Doctors working [at the Health Ministry] are very likely to organise a strike if their stipulated demands aren’t met before May 26,” she told The Jordan Times, noting that the JMA will exhaust all available legal tools and measures to ensure that the government upholds the agreement.  

There are roughly 6,500 doctors employed at the Ministry of Health’s hospitals and health centres, according to Fakhoury. 

A recently graduated doctor working at the Ministry of Health earns a salary of JD600 per month, while a specialist is paid around JD1,000. A consultant physician is paid roughly JD1,500, she said.  

The aforementioned agreement also demands adherence to disbursing doctors’ overtime, mobility, technical and vehicle acquisition stipends, Fakhoury added. 

 “There are roughly 2,000 doctors at the Ministry of Health who don’t receive these allowances, even though it’s their legal right and part of their salaries,” she said. 

 The technical allowance ranges between a minimum of 160 per cent and a maximum of 255 per cent, depending on the doctor’s level of study and experience, according to Fakhoury.  

She also pointed out that the Ministry of Health is facing difficulties retaining doctors in its hospitals, as they are quitting at “very” high rates, mostly to work abroad in Europe or the Arab Gulf. 

 “There’s a shortage in the number of specialised doctors at the Health Ministry’s hospitals … We’re losing invaluable medical expertise and youth with promising potential to other countries,” she added. 

 The majority of doctors at the ministry are under 35 years old; after which most leave for better working conditions and higher salaries once they have gained enough experience, she continued.  

Fakhoury stressed that the agreement goes beyond salaries and allowances; it also demands increasing scholarships and courses to ensure a continuous medical education.  

Maintaining and improving the quality of services at the ministry’s hospitals, which roughly 70 per cent of Jordanians rely on, requires investing “first and foremost” in human resources, she said.