A National Milestone in Quality Health Care: Accreditation of Wadi Al-Hajar and Al-Razi Health Centres under the WASH in Health Care Facilities Programme

Amman, 5 February 2026 – In a significant step toward strengthening the quality of health services, the Ministry of Health, in collaboration the Health Care Accreditation Council (HCAC)and with the support of UNICEF and the Government of Korea, organized a recognition ceremony for Wadi Al-Hajar Comprehensive Health Centre in Zarqa Governorate and Al-Razi Comprehensive Health Centre in Jerash Governorate. This follows their accreditation under the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Health Care Facilities (WASH FIT) programme.

This recognition is inline with the sustained efforts that included improving health facility infrastructure, training health personnel on programme standards, conducting technical advisory visits, and activating monitoring and evaluation mechanisms through the DHIS2 electronic system to ensure real-time performance tracking. These efforts reflect the strong commitment of all partners to improving the health care environment and enhancing the safety of patients and health workers alike.

The ceremony was held within the framework of a strategic partnership between the Ministry of Health, the Health Care Accreditation Council, UNICEF, and the World Health Organization. It aimed to recognize the efforts of staff at the two centres and their affiliated directorates, strengthen infection prevention and control practices, improve the health care environment, and ensure patient and staff safety across health care facilities in the Kingdom.

The Secretary General for Primary Health Care and Epidemics at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Riyadh Al-Shayab, commended this achievement, which represents the first accreditation of Wadi Al-Hajar and Al-Razi Health Centres at both national and regional levels. He underscored that the programme constitutes a practical step toward improving service quality and enhancing institutional performance, while motivating other health centres and hospitals to adopt best practices. He added that the development of this system is the result of sustained efforts in training and assessment, as well as continuous technical support from partners, to ensure the sustainability of achievements and tangible improvements across health care facilities.

UNICEF Representative to Jordan, Mr. Marc Rubin highlighted that this important milestone demonstrates how strong national leadership and effective partnerships can translate global standards on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene and Infection Prevention and Control into concrete action that protects patients and health workers in Jordan. He added that UNICEF continues to work closely with the Ministry of Health, the Health Care Accreditation Council, World Health Organization and national partners in advancing this model, which will guide national scale-up and position Jordan as a regional leader in safe and quality health care.

For her part, the Chief Executive Officer of the Health Care Accreditation Council, Ms. Salma Jaouni, affirmed that the Council views accreditation as a strategic tool for continuous development and for supporting health institutions on their path toward excellence through reliable national standards and effective monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. She explained that the programme contributes to creating a safer environment, reducing the risks of infection, improving the quality of services provided to citizens, and fostering a healthy and safe working environment for health sector staff.

This achievement follows several months of intensive work, which included training more than 70 participants from health directorates, health centres, and hospitals across different governorates, conducting initial programme assessments in a number of facilities, and implementing comprehensive infrastructure improvements. These improvements covered water supply systems, sanitation, hygiene, waste management, and essential maintenance to ensure compliance with WASH FIT standards and infection prevention and control checklists for health institutions.

The ceremony aimed to honour the outstanding efforts of administrative, medical, and technical staff, encourage other health directorates and centres to follow the same approach, and raise awareness of the programme and its objectives to ensure the sustainability of results and the expansion of accreditation nationwide.