Nayrouz News Agency : The Jordan Private Hospitals Association (JPHA) on Sunday said that an electronic platform is expected to be launched in the coming days to facilitate Arab patients’ travel to the Kingdom for medical treatment.

Government officials were quoted on multiple media outlets as stating that Arab nationals will be able to travel to the Kingdom in mid-July for medical treatment.

"We will launch an electronic platform for foreign patients who wish to be treated in the Kingdom’s hospitals soon,” JPHA President Fawzi Hammouri said.

Target countries during the first phase will include the Gulf states, Iraq, Palestine, Algeria and Libya, Hammouri told The Jordan Times.

"Jordan has been able to contain the COVID-19 pandemic with great success and this has encouraged Arab patients to choose Jordan for treatment since our hospitals do not have many COVID-19 patients as is the case in their countries,” Hammouri explained.

Patients wishing to travel to Jordan are required to submit a request via the electronic platform by submitting a copy of their passport, the name of the individual who will be travelling with them and a negative COVID-19 PCR examination taken no more than 72 hours before arriving to the Kingdom, according to Hammouri.

The JPHA president added that the electronic platform will allow the patients to choose the hospital they wish to be treated at.

"The platform is connected to all relevant official bodies, including the Ministry of Interior, to facilitate the process of obtaining visas for the patients and accompanying individuals,” Hammouri explained.

He added that the opening of medical tourism in the Kingdom "will have a positive impact on private hospitals and the health sector in general, as well as support other sectors such as hotels and airlines”.

While chairing a meeting at Al Husseiniya Palace on the government’s plan for medical tourism on June 29, His Majesty King Abdullah stressed the need to promote Jordan as a medical tourism destination to boost the economy.

The King said during the meeting that all stakeholders must cooperate to facilitate the arrival of patients while maintaining the highest standards of public health and safety to ensure the epidemiological situation in Jordan remains stable, according to a Royal Court statement.

During the meeting, attended by Prime Minister Omar Razzaz, His Majesty urged capitalising on Jordan’s success in controlling the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Tourism Minister Majd Shweikeh also outlined the medical tourism plan to receive Arab and foreign patients and the measures in place to facilitate arrival and departure.