King, Queen tour new Zarqa hospital, visit home for elderly

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah, accompanied by Her Majesty Queen Rania, on Wednesday inaugurated the new 500-bed Zarqa Public Hospital, which is equipped with all medical equipment and specialisations.

The hospital was established under Royal directives after the King paid several visits to the governorate, and an unannounced visit to the old premises of the hospital, a Royal Court statement said.

His Majesty donated a plot of land to build the new hospital to contribute to developing the medical sector for residents of governorate, some 22km east of Amman, and neighbouring areas.

King Abdullah unveiled the commemorative plaque of the JD65 million hospital, and Their Majesties looked at a model of its buildings and facilities during the visit.

King Abdullah and Queen Rania listened to a briefing on the services the hospital provides to citizens by Health Minister Ali Hiasat, who noted that the facility employs qualified medical cadres.

Work on the hospital started in 2007 and was completed in 2014 on a 112-dunum piece of land, with a total building area of 55,000 square metres. 

The premises also include housing units for employees, parking spaces and a helipad for air ambulance purposes.

Their Majesties also visited Princess Muna Centre for the Elderly in Zarqa and checked on its residents, who are over the age of 55.

The King issued directives to secure the centre’s needs, such as providing it with a bus and modern electric medical beds to develop the level of services it offers.

His Majesty also directed the concerned authorities to install a solar energy system to generate electricity for the centre, which is affiliated with the Jordan Orthodox Society. 

He instructed authorities to study the possibility of installing solar systems in all housing and care centres affiliated with the Ministry of Social Development to reduce financial burdens.

Father Farah Haddad, president of the centre, briefed Their Majesties on the role of the facility, which was established in 1965, in serving around 30 women.

Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, King’s Office Director Jafar Hassan, Public Works Minister Sami Halaseh, Social Development Minister Reem Abu Hassan and Royal Court Secretary General Yousef Issawi accompanied Their Majesties on the visit.