Pandemic expenditure surpassed JD3b — PM

AMMAN — The total expenditure on dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and its repercussions on healthcare, social protection and supporting affected sectors since the beginning of the crisis until the end of 2021 exceeded JD3 billion, Prime Minister Bisher Al Khasawneh said on Saturday.

During the opening ceremony of the “Jordan's experience in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic: Facts, challenges and available opportunities” conference, Khasawneh said that the government has adopted "the right decisions at the right time" through the Defence Law and orders, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The prime minister said that the government was setting priorities balanced between the citizens' health and sustaining economic and educational sectors, taking into consideration the living conditions of Jordanians.

In this regard, he said that the Kingdom’s health capabilities increased by 350 per cent in record time through establishing field hospitals, providing necessary devices and appointing thousands of doctors, nurses and technicians. 

Khasawneh said that the government signed contracts to secure 18 million doses of COVID vaccines, and that all vaccines and diagnosis services and treatment are available to all residents of the Kingdom regardless of nationality, noting that Jordan has also donated some vaccines to other countries. 

The prime minister said that the pandemic has also helped the Kingdom increase its storage capacities at silos, which enabled the country preserve a strategic and ample stock of important commodities. 

The positive impacts of such a step was “clear” through the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, where reports by the World Bank classified Jordan among the most efficient countries in dealing with the global price hikes, he added.

CEO of the Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network (EMPHNET) and President of the conference Muhannad Nsour said that the two-day event aims to shed light on the top results and lessons learned from the pandemic as well as the challenges that faced the Kingdom and its health sector. 

Nsour said that main factors of Jordan’s success in dealing with the pandemic included good leadership, proper administration and harmony in making decisions, and the health sector’s ability to deal with the crisis.

Also during the event, the prime minister honoured the Private Hospital Association (PHA) in recognition of the efforts of the Kingdom’s private hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Khasawneh honoured Chairman of the PHA Fawzi Hammouri on behalf of the association, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

The PHA, in a statement, highlighted the private hospitals’ efforts during the pandemic, noting that a total of 1,500 isolation beds and 350 ICU rooms were provided by 30 private hospitals. 

Private hospitals admitted 30,000 patients, and offerred COVID-19 vaccines, in coordination with the Ministry of Health, for free to more than 400,000 patients, especially those with chronic health conditions.