'Marked decline registered in number of patients from Palestine, Sudan and Yemen'
AMMAN -- The Kingdom's private hospitals are facing some challenges that are expected to affect their business, Private Hospitals Association (PHA) President Fawzi Hammouri said on Saturday.
Hammouri told reporters that the turmoil and political changes in some neighbouring countries that used to be major markets for private local hospitals have had a negative impact on the sector's revenues.
Annually, some 10,000 Palestinian patients used to come for treatment in Jordan, but the number has recently dropped to 1,000, he said, explaining that the Palestinian Authority used to cover the cost of treating Palestinian patients, but is currently going through financial difficulties.
In addition, Hammouri noted that the number of Sudanese patients has dropped by 40 per cent after Sudan's north-south separation in 2011. In 2010, some 20,000 Sudanese patients sought treatment in the Kingdom's hospitals.
The current situation in Syria also affected Jordan's medical tourism, as even those who currently come for treatment cannot pay their bills, unless there is an organisation or an international party that covers the cost, he added at a press conference.
There is also a drop in the number of Yemeni patients due to the transition in their country, and in Iraqi patients due to visa restrictions, according to Hammouri.
As for Libya, the government has stopped referring its patients to Jordan after the accumulation of their debts, with JD150 million in outstanding bills to Jordanian hospitals.
In addition to the Libyan dues, the Palestinian Authority owes private hospitals JD30 million, while insurance companies and the health ministry's kidney fund owe them the same amount.
The situation worsened, he said, after the hike in electricity tariffs, as hospitals have to pay 235 fils per kilowatt hour.
Other factors that affected the sector include competition from regional countries such as Turkey.
The decision to include 45,000 employees of independent government entities under public health insurance this year has also negatively affected private hospitals' income, the PHA president said, noting that before, these employees were covered by private insurance companies.
Meanwhile, to help alleviate the impact of this crisis, Hammouri called on the government and the Jordan Tourism Board to help promote medical tourism abroad.
© Jordan Times 2013
