Jordan- 'Agreements with Nigeria, Gulf insurers to boost medical tourism' 

(MENAFN - Jordan Times) The Private Hospitals Association (PHA) will soon sign two agreements to bring more medical tourists to Jordan, a representative of the association said on Saturday.

PHA Executive Director Abdullah Hindawi told The Jordan Times that an agreement will be signed with a Nigerian consulting company, under which Nigeria will refer more patients to the Kingdom's hospitals.

"A Nigerian doctor will be appointed by this company to conduct medical checkups and issue reports for patients seeking treatment in Jordan to facilitate the visa process," Hindawi explained.

Each year, he said, 300,000 Nigerians leave their country for treatment abroad, but only 250 came to Jordan last year.

"They go to India and Egypt. With this agreement, we will be ensured of receiving more Nigerian patients this year," he said.

According to Hindawi, the PHA is scheduled to sign another agreement with the Gulf Health Insurance Association, through which Jordanian and Palestinian expatriates in the Gulf states can come to Jordan for treatment paid for through their health insurance policies in their host countries.

The Kingdom's medical tourism sector contracted in 2011 due to instability in the region, but is expected to bounce back this year, PHA President Awni Bashir told The Jordan Times in a previous statement.

He noted that some 180,000 patients came for treatment in the Kingdom's hospitals in 2011, compared to around 220,000 patients the previous year, indicating a drop of nearly 20 per cent.