Amman, June 15 (Petra) -- Prime Minister Jafar Hassan on Monday stressed the need to continue improving the quality of healthcare services provided to citizens and accelerate the completion of government health projects across the Kingdom within established timelines.

During a visit to the Ministry of Health, Hassan praised the efforts of the ministry's staff, including physicians, healthcare professionals, technicians and administrative personnel, in advancing public healthcare services.

At a meeting attended by Minister of Health Ibrahim Bdour and senior officials, the prime minister underlined the importance of avoiding delays to vital projects due to minor procedural or technical obstacles, stressing that healthcare initiatives must be completed on schedule to better serve citizens.

"We have completed a number of major healthcare projects across the governorates, including laying the foundation stone for the new Madaba Hospital, expanding Princess Iman Hospital in Ma'di, laying the foundation stone for a new building at Prince Faisal Hospital in Ruseifa, expanding the cardiac surgery department at Zarqa Governmental Hospital, opening Princess Basma Hospital in Irbid and establishing cancer treatment centers there," Hassan said. "The government will continue its efforts to develop the healthcare sector." The prime minister also toured the Amman Field Hospital, which recently underwent comprehensive rehabilitation and modernization with support from the Joint Grant Fund. The facility, located adjacent to Prince Hamza Hospital, is being reopened after more than four years and is expected to help accommodate rising patient volumes, particularly in emergency, intensive care and dialysis services. The hospital has already begun receiving kidney patients and is scheduled to become fully operational in the coming days.

The Amman Field Hospital includes 70 emergency department beds, 44 intensive care unit beds and 40 dialysis stations, enhancing healthcare capacity, reducing waiting times and improving service delivery.

Hassan directed that field hospitals established during the COVID-19 pandemic be utilized to support the public health sector through their equipment, infrastructure and operational capabilities. He also stressed the importance of strengthening pharmaceutical inventory management and ensuring the availability of medications at hospitals and health centers across all governorates.

For his part, Bdour said the ministry has implemented a package of healthcare projects aimed at upgrading infrastructure and establishing and expanding hospitals and health centers in various regions of the Kingdom, enhancing the public health sector's capacity to meet growing demand.

He outlined the ministry's current initiatives and future plans, which focus on improving healthcare quality, accelerating digital transformation and strengthening the readiness of the public health system to address current and future challenges.

Bdour said the adoption of a unified national cancer treatment protocol, a standardized protocol for treating acute myocardial infarction through catheterization, and the reorganization of outpatient appointment systems in major hospitals represent key steps toward standardizing treatment procedures and improving service efficiency.

He added that extending operating hours and activating evening shifts at several comprehensive health centers has helped ease pressure on emergency departments and improve access to healthcare services.

The minister noted that 577 beds have been added to Ministry of Health hospitals over the past two years, increasing total hospital bed capacity in the Kingdom by nearly 10 percent.

He also said 14 new health centers have been established, 49 existing centers rehabilitated and 153 facilities computerized, representing more than 30 percent of all healthcare facilities.

In addition, Bdour said the ministry established 13 new medical warehouses, accounting for nearly 40 percent of the total number of storage facilities, and automated 77 services out of 147 services targeted for automation over the next two years.

//Petra// AJ