(MENAFN- Jordan Times) The Private Hospitals Association (PHA) has said it will address the government to approve raising prices of medical procedures, as the Kingdom's hospitals will be affected by the recent increase in electricity rates.
A Cabinet decision was announced last Saturday raising electricity rates on households as high as 35 per cent.
The amended tariff, which went into effect on Tuesday, exempts consumers who use up less than 600 kilowatt-hours per month.
According to PHA Executive Director Abdullah Hindawi, hospitals will be affected by this decision as they are classified as household consumers.
He said almost each of these facilities consumes "thousands" of kilowatts a month, which means they will incur the bulk of the raise, up to 35 per cent.
"We cannot increase prices of medical procedures without the government's approval, and if we keep the same prices, there will be losses," Hindawi told The Jordan Times over the phone on Wednesday.
A source at the Electricity Regulatory Commission, who declined to be named, confirmed that private hospitals and other institutions, including universities, are classified as households and will be affected by the rate increase implemented this week.
Hospitals had been explicitly exempted from an earlier hike in tariffs on certain commercial and industrial sectors.
In a statement sent to The Jordan Times, PHA President Fawzi Hammouri called on the government to exclude hospitals from the new rates, warning that if hospitals raise prices to offset the rising power costs, this will affect the Kingdom's medical tourism industry.
According to Hammouri, the government already increased electricity tariffs on hospitals by 50 per cent last July.
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