Private hospitals to treat 70 Gazans injured in Israeli offensive

AMMAN — The Private Hospitals Association (PHA) has signed an agreement with the Professional Associations Council to receive and treat 70 Palestinians wounded in the Israeli attack on Gaza.

PHA President Fawzi Hammouri said the injured Gazans will receive free-of-charge treatment at 15 private hospital affiliated with the association, as part of the first stage of the agreement.

In a recent interview with Al Rai and The Jordan Times, Hammouri added that the PHA, which encompasses 45 members, seeks to send volunteer medics in several specialisations to Gaza to help treat the injured people at hospitals inside the strip, in addition to conducting blood donation campaigns.

Meanwhile, Jordan is still leading the countries of the region as the top destination for medical tourism, and is one of the prominent destinations among world countries.

Thus, with the support of a USAID project, the PHA is planning to establish a medical tourism council, according to Hammouri.

He explained that the projected council would regulate the country’s medical tourism, work on improving services and attract more investment opportunities.

Revenues generated by the sector in 2013, stood at $1.2 billion, according to Hammouri, who noted that 240,000 patients from across the world came to Jordan for treatment last year, and a similar number of people accompanied these patients.

There are currently 61 private hospitals across the country, with five others under construction, he said.

Jordan, Hammouri added, has won the 2014 award as the best medical tourism destination in a contest organised by a medical tourism newspaper during the country’s participation in the first International Medical Tourism conference in Dubai.

Noting that “it is time” to address the issue of the government’s unpaid dues, he said the state owes private hospitals JD40 million for providing dialysis services to patients covered by public health insurance.