|
www.bahraintribune.com Jordan’s medical tourism has been attracting a number of patients from the Arab world.
Royal Jordanian Airlines area manager for Bahrain, Ayman Naghaway, said: “Statistics show that seven out of 10 passengers the airline carries are for medical tourism, even during the lean season when not many people travel.”
Last year, 8,373 of the 11,962 the airline carried from Bahrain were for medical tourism. “The same is the case with other carriers which operate to the Kingdom, according to figures we have.”
He said doctors in the highly advanced fields of coronary care and kidney, brain and eye surgery treated up to 200,000 non-Jordanian Arab patients annually. “The low cost of the surgery, compared with that in the US and Europe, has given our health industry a further competitive edge in the region.” He said Bahrainis, in particular, have returned home praising the high standard of care provided for of patients. “As an airline, we facilitate their travel in association with the Jordan Tourism Board and some private hospitals and even organise family packages.
According to industry figures, Jordan generates an average of 1,000 million dinar from visiting patients each year. “On a recommendation of the Economic Consultative Council to reinvigorate the private medical sector, the Ministry of Health formed a committee to establish links with Arab countries and tap into patients needing treatment.”
He said an office had been set up for non-Jordanian Arab patients to implement co-operative protocols between the ministry and foreign governments to provide treatment. “It sends Arab patients a scheduled medical itinerary prior to their arrival, to ensure a smooth stay for them.”
Naghaway said medical tourism could be defined as provision of “cost-effective” private medical care in collaboration with the tourism industry for patients needing surgical and other forms of specialised treatment. “This process is being facilitated by the corporate sector involved in medical care as well as the tourism industry - both private and public,” he said.
| 
