Activists seek improved inclusion of people with disabilities in civil health insurance

AMMAN — The inclusion of people with disabilities in civil health insurance is a major opportunity for the improvement of healthcare access for this community in Jordan, but improvement is needed, according to activists. 

Regulations surrounding the inclusion of persons with disabilities in civil health insurance, recently issued in the Official Gazette, outlined that people with disabilities should receive medical treatment and care at hospitals and medical centres affiliated with the Ministry of Health, in accordance with the policies and procedures governing the Civil Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

Speaking with The Jordan Times, Anas Damra, a spokesperson of the “Ibni” campaign, said that civil health insurance improves disabled people’s access to healthcare, adding that certain articles need to be more inclusive.

The “Ibni” campaign is a community-based movement advocating for the rights of people with disabilities, particularly their right to access health and rehabilitation services.

Guidance is required to achieve improved inclusion of persons with disabilities, followed by the need to establish accessible health infrastructures, according to the spokesperson, who also noted that “restrictive procedures” should be avoided, such as the condition of not using alternative insurance in order to qualify for civil health insurance. 

“People with disabilities face higher healthcare needs and their access to civil health insurance should not be limited,” Duha Huneiti, a Jordanian disability rights activist, told The Jordan Times. 

She added that “there is still a huge health gap for us, and we need to implement changes from the planning stages instead of only adding adaptive programmes”.

She concluded by noting that the healthcare staff in hospitals and healthcare centres should receive appropriate training that would enable them to offer suitable care to patients with disabilities.