Jordan is the largest medical tourism hub in the Middle East and attracts around 250,000 medical tourists, mostly from the surrounding countries (38% Iraqis, 30% Palestine, 31% Sudan) despite targeting their promotion to the US market. These medical tourists are attracted thanks to the excellent language skills of the workforce and the high quality of care. The country specialises in cardiology, orthopaedics, cosmetic surgery and dentistry. The perception among Western patients of the strict religious rules that exist means that Jordan’s reputation is underdeveloped as a global medical tourism destination. However, Jordan’s potential includes cost savings of 66% when compared to the US and 57% when compared to the prices in the UK. By 2012, the country is aiming to receive revenue of €668 million from medical tourism compared to €4.34 million in 2009.
Jordan | |
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Localisation | Southwest Asia bordering Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Israel and the West Bank |
Capital | Amman |
Biggest cities (population) | Amman (1,275,857), Az Zarqa (792,665), Irbid (307,480) |
Inhabitants | 6,316,000 |
Politics | constitutional monarchy with a representative government |
Religion | Islam (92%), Christianity (6%), other (2%) |
Currency | Jordanian dinar (JOD) = € 1.072290 |
GDP | € 13,380 million, 0.03% of the world’s GDP |
Official language(s) | Arabic |
Climate | Mediterranean, with highs of 32°C in summer and lows of 3°C in winter |
Time zone | GMT +2, summer time GMT +3 |
Happy Planet Index (HPI) | 26 |
Jordan is a very diverse country with many different cultural, religious and ethnic groups having chosen to settle there because of its stability and tolerance when compared to nearby countries. These influences are greatly with architecture, music and cuisine varying greatly. Jordanian cuisine predominately consists of Middle Eastern cooking but with the insertion of fresh yogurt and cheese. It is often enjoyed in the form of ‘mezes’, which are small dishes of a variety of foods.
Jordan ranks number 64 on the GPI meaning that it is a peaceful country for this region of the world.
Citizens of Australia, Canadia, US and EU countries can obtain a one month visa or single-entry visas on arrival at any point of entry into Jordan. Multiple-entry visas can only be obtained at the nearest embassy/consulate. Visas may be extended for three or six months by registering with a police station in Jordan. 133
Jordan maintains a developed transportation infrastructure thanks to the many international trade agreements with the US, Singapore and Europe among others. This means that there are over 8,000 km of paved highways as well as one large rail network, although there are plans for two new rail networks to be built. Jordan also has three large international airports, with two located in Amman.
Driving in Jordan as a foreigner can be chaotic with minimal road signs and determined drivers, but taxis are cheap, abundant and trustworthy. Taxis are recommended for foreigners as the busses are often below the standard expected.
Hotel rooms in Amman range from the luxury five star hotels to basic hotels. Tourists are better off to pay money for a superior hotel as the quality of cheaper hotels is often below what is found in Europe. Hilton Worldwide has already seen the potential of this market and is planning to open new hotels to accompany the other chains such as Carlson Hotels Worldwide and Accor Hotels. In Jordan there are no hospitals with their own hotels but there is a good cooperation with local hotels.
WHO ranking | 83 |
Physicians per 10,000 population | 24.0 (2005) |
Nurses per 10,000 population | 32.0 (2005) |
GDP spent on health care | 10.5% (2007) |
Education period of doctors | 6 years + 1 year residency |
Education period of specialists | additional up to 6 years |
In Jordan, there are 101 hospitals with 61 being private (providing 3,712 out of 11,200 beds which accounts for 33.6% of all beds). For Jordanians, however, the main provider of health care is the public sector alongside international and charitable organisations such as United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). Primary care is mostly taken care of by the public hospitals whereas the private ones deal mostly with the tertiary care. Private hospitals remain largely clustered around Amman.
In Jordan, the insurance system is considered to be inefficient as around 30% of citizens are not covered, although the government wants this to be 100% by 2011. This is due to the recent influx of Iraqis who do not have insurance. 69% of Jordanians receive free health care, due to their status as public sector employees or their dependents and around 10% of the population are insured privately.
Jordan recently published the ‘National Health Research Priorities’ for 2009 to 2012 which outlines plans to improve the health care provided to both nationals and internationals. The increase in medical tourism revenue is the main factor that has made this possible.
Jordan attracted 7,100,482 international visitors during 2008 mainly from India and Arabic countries.
In 2007, the number of medical tourists in Jordan was estimated to be 250,000 141. The kingdom was rated as number one in the region and fifth in the world as a medical tourism hub. This resulted in Jordan making more money from medical tourism than it invested in the whole of its health care sector. In 2009, the country expects to achieve USD 6.5 million (€ 4.34 million) in medical tourism revenue and it is hoped to be a USD 1 billion (€ 668 million) by the end of 2012. With regard to medical tourism, Jordan has been proactive in attracting US patients through an advertising campaign. However, its results have not yet been shown. The ‘Medical Tourism Directorate’ was also created to monitor medical tourism and national health care.
The largest medical tourism flows entering the country are from Iraq (38%), Palestine (30%) and Sudan (31%). Other countries make up 1%.
The main areas of medical specialisation in Jordan include:
The top facilities have been selected using the following criteria’s, listed in order of importance: JCI Accreditation, ISQua accreditation, international orientation. In general national accreditation systems have not been taken into consideration, due to the fact that there are too many and judging them is out of the scope of this study. Jordan has four JCI accredited facilities. The internationally oriented hospitals are:
Strengths | Weaknesses |
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Jordan is the largest medical tourism hub in the Middle East and attracts around 250,000 medical tourists, mostly from the surrounding countries (38% Iraqis, 30% Palestine, 31% Sudan) despite targeting their promotion to the US market. The perception among Western patients of the strict religious rules that exist means that Jordan’s reputation is underdeveloped as a global medical tourism destination. However, Jordan’s potential includes cost savings of 66% when compared to the US and 57% when compared to the prices in the UK. By 2012, the country is aiming to receive a revenue of €668 million from medical tourism compared to €4.34 million in 2009.
Jordan | Al Essra Hospital | Jordan Hospital and Medical Centre | The Speciality Hospital |
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Location and website | Amman www.essrahospital.com | Amman www.jordan-hospital.com | Amman www.specialty-hospital.com |
Accreditations or certifications | JCI | JCI, ISO 9002 | JCI, ISO 9001:2000 |
Capacity of hospital beds | 160 beds | 300 beds | 200 beds |
Possible for accompanying person to stay in room | Yes, in suites | Yes, in private rooms | Yes, in suites |
Medical tourists | 250 annually from Sudan, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Libya | Middle East and recent increase in Europe | Sudan, Palestine, Iraq, Yemen and Libya |
Number of medical staff doctors/nurses | 720 physicians, nurses and administration | >150 specialists | >40 specialists |
Type of rooms available (prices) | Private single (27) / deluxe (13) / executive (7) rooms and suites (10) | Private single / deluxe / executive rooms and suites(36) | Private single rooms and suites (14) |
International patient department | Yes, Arab Patient Office | Yes, and special concierge department | Yes, Arab Patients Services Office |
Adaptations to cultures and nations | Yes, in food, language and religious habits | Yes, in food and religious habits | Yes, in food and language |
Languages spoken by staff | Arabic and English, interpreters available | Arabic, English and Russian | Arabic and English |
Marketing of the facility/USP | Website and word of mouth from JCI accreditation | Partnerships with international insurance companies and other medical tourism related companies | Partnerships with international insurance companies and other medical tourism related companies |
Specialisations | IVF, cardiology, paediatrics, orthopaedics and neurology | Paediatrics, anaesthesia, radiology, gynaecology and obstetrics | Radiology, physiotherapy, neonatal, IVF, anaesthesia, endoscopy and rehabilitation |
Treatment | Average Price | Al Essra Hospital |
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Cardiac bypass | 8,017 | 10,021 |
Gastric bypass | N/A | 10,021 |
Knee replacement | 4,342 | N/A |
Hip replacement | 4,543 | 8,017 |
Hip resurfacing | 6,680 | 4,676 |
Botox treatment | N/A | N/A |
Breast augmentation | 1,837 | N/A |
Facelift | 2,806 | N/A |
Liposuction | N/A | N/A |
Dental implants | 534 | N/A |
Rhinoplasty | 2,504 | N/A |
Lasik eye surgery | 668 | N/A |
Note: All prices are estimates, and may vary widely from source to source depending on services included in the estimate (i.e. doctor’s fees, hospitalisation, administration costs or the patient’s age and medical history). Due to non-disclosure strategies of the various locations, it was not possible to make a clear separation between those factors. All prices given for the specific facilities have been provided by the hospitals/clinics themselves via email or telephone contact. The prices are given in Euros (€).
N/A means either that treatment are not available in the specific hospital, that a price estimation cannot be found or that the medical facility did not disclose the information. For the average prices, printed literature has been used before researching sources on the internet.