Jordan Country Brief
Community Health: Policy and Implementation Landscape Mapping in the Middle East and North Africa Region 2024
Highlights
Country Context
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, located in the Middle East, has an estimated population of nearly 11.5 million across the country's 12 governorates. Despite the complexities and challenges posed by regional and global instability, Jordan has successfully maintained relative stability and consistent growth, achieving an average annual growth rate of 2.5 percent over the past decade.
The Jordanian health sector provides both advanced medical services and essential primary care, something which has granted it a leading reputation in the region. Key public health care providers include the Ministry of Health (MoH), Royal Medical Services (RMS), and university hospitals, with specialized care also available. The MoH oversees a comprehensive network of health facilities, delivering primary, secondary, and tertiary care. The private sector, including both for-profit and non-profit entities such as NGOs, complements public services, particularly in peripheral areas. Additionally, international organizations like the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) provide health care services for Palestinian refugees.
Insurance programs cover about 56 percent of the population and are managed by a variety of stakeholders, including MoH, RMS, university hospitals, UNRWA, the private sector, and others.
Overview of Community Health
Jordan's 2008 Public Health Law does not explicitly refer to community health, but it does regulate the practices of related health professions and addresses health promotion and disease prevention processes. The MoH organizes and oversees efforts and initiatives related to community health, including those focused on immunization, non-communicable diseases, and maternal and child health.
Health promoters are full-time paid staff of the MoH, while Community Health Volunteers (CHV), who are unpaid, are part of community health committees. Both are central to community health-related activities. Health promoters and community health committees fall under the MoH structure and report to the Health Communication and Awareness Directorate.
