Jordan (2) -- Analyses -- 2010

More about the medical tourism

20.01.2010

The goal in the next five years is to receive 300,000 medical tourists per year, and boost annual revenue to $1.5bn.
After establishing itself as a popular destination for medical care among Arabs in the Middle East, Jordan is now looking to attract more patients from outside the region. A study conducted by Jordan's Private Hospitals Association (PHA) found that 210,100 patients from 48 countries received treatment in the kingdom in 2008, compared to 190,000 in 2007. Figures for both income and numbers for the first nine months of 2009 were 5 to 10% higher than in 2008.
There are 60 private health institutions in the kingdom. Most doctors are English-speaking and many have been trained or are affiliated with top US hospitals. While the kingdom's medical care quality is high, its costs are relatively low compared to the rest of the world. Healthcare procedures in Jordan typically are just one-tenth of the price of treatments in the USA, and less than a third of the cost of medical services in the UK.
The marketing campaign includes a web campaign and package deals from hospitals that include air travel. Traditional markets that provide nearly all medical tourists are the Arab countries in the region. It is now working on many countries in Africa and the ex-Soviet Union, and the American market. The private sector traditionally has not had much help from the government in promoting medical tourism in the country, but the Jordan Tourism Board is now taking a more active role in boosting the industry as it has seen the growth and potential that medical tourism offers. There are a lot of people in countries such as Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Zambia who want to get treatment in Jordan, but it is very difficult for them to get a visa.
Jordan Hospital in Amman saw a 10% boost in medical tourists in 2009. Most foreign patients at the JCI-accredited hospital are Arabs from the Middle East, but overall the 10th highest total of medical tourists at the hospital comes from the USA, while the UK ranks 13th. The most common procedures requested by patients from the USA and UK at the hospital are plastic surgery, in-vitro fertilization, and orthopedic care. Patients travelling to Jordan from within the region most often seek cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, and cancer-related procedures.

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