Russeifa, Feb. 15 (Petra) -- Prime Minister Jafar Hassan on Sunday laid the foundation stone for a new expansion building at Prince Faisal Hospital in Russeifa, Zarqa Governorate, as part of the government’s strategy to upgrade healthcare infrastructure and enhance service delivery across the Kingdom.

The project, with a total built-up area exceeding 5,700 square meters, will match the footprint of the existing hospital facility, which is scheduled to undergo comprehensive rehabilitation upon completion of the new structure.

The expansion, valued at JD9 million, is financed by the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) within the framework of Jordanian-Saudi development cooperation and continued support for the Kingdom’s health sector. The ceremony was attended by Saudi Ambassador to Jordan Prince Mansour bin Khalid bin Farhan Al Saud and Chief Executive Officer of the SFD Sultan bin Abdulrahman Murshed.

Hassan expressed appreciation for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s sustained development support, highlighting the Fund’s role in financing strategic healthcare projects, including the Prince Faisal Hospital expansion.

During the visit, and in the presence of Minister of Health Ibrahim Bdour, the Prime Minister was briefed on the project’s technical components. The expansion will be implemented in three phases over a three-year period and will span four floors.

The new facility will include a 1,550-square-meter intensive care complex encompassing critical care and cardiac care units, a 1,303-square-meter emergency department, and a 1,660-square-meter state-of-the-art surgical operating suite. An additional 1,270 square meters will be allocated to an education and training department and support services.

Bdour said the expansion will deliver a qualitative upgrade in healthcare provision by strengthening specialized infrastructure, increasing surgical capacity, enhancing intensive and cardiac care services, and modernizing emergency response capabilities. He noted that the project will improve patient experience, safety standards, and overall quality of care.

For his part, Murshed said the project will advance medical infrastructure, upgrade vital clinical departments, and improve the operational environment, ensuring service continuity in line with international standards. He added that the initiative reflects more than 48 years of close development partnership between Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

The Prime Minister had previously inspected the hospital during field visits and directed that expansion measures be expedited to address growing service demand. Subsequent interventions included urgent maintenance of radiology, emergency, and ambulance departments, rehabilitation of entrances and external facilities, and the reopening of the on-site nursery for employees’ children.

Additional medical, nursing, administrative, and support staff were also recruited to enhance operational capacity. Steps were further taken to classify the hospital as a teaching hospital, enabling it to host university trainees. The existing hospital building is set to undergo comprehensive modernization once the new facility becomes operational.

//Petra// AJ