Global Forum for Medical Tourism and Health Travel
Amman, Nov. 19 (Petra) - Deputizing for His Majesty King Abdullah II, Minister of Health Dr. Firas Al-Hawari inaugurated the activities of the Global Forum for Medical Tourism and Health Travel 2022, under the slogan "Oman, Capital of Arab Medicine", today, Saturday, with the attendance of 750 participants from 51 countries. of the Private Hospitals Association.
The forum, which comes in partnership with the Jordanian Ministry of Health and the Tourism Promotion Authority, and in cooperation with the International Hospital Federation, the World Council for Medical Tourism and the Federation of Arab Hospitals, aims to strengthen Jordan''s position as a destination for medical tourism and health travel, a translation of the vision of economic modernization that was launched under royal patronage, where health care was Medical tourism is a priority for economic growth in that vision.
Dr. Al-Hawari said that medical tourism in Jordan receives great attention from His Majesty King Abdullah II, pointing out that this interest was evident through His Majesty''s affirmation on many occasions that Jordan possesses sufficient ingredients to become a distinguished destination for medical tourism.
He affirmed His Majesty''s keenness to meet those involved in this sector, both the government and the private sector, and direct them to the need to continue developing medical tourism services to remain competitive. His Majesty stressed the importance of coordination between the public and private sectors and concerted efforts to advance these services.
In his speech during the ceremony, which was attended by Ministers of Tourism Nayef Al-Fayez, Minister of Interior Mazen Al-Faraya, Government Communication Faisal Al-Shboul, and Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship Ahmed Al-Hananda, Al-Hawari indicated that the forum contributes to supporting medical tourism by providing opportunities to highlight ways of real cooperation between partners in the two sectors. medical and tourism, with the aim of enhancing the integration of roles that made medical tourism in Jordan a leader in the region in attracting patients for treatment in Jordan''s distinguished medical edifices, thanks to the availability of capabilities and equipment, the diversity of expertise and medical specializations, the quality of its services provided and their availability at reasonable prices, and their coverage of patients'' needs, and the availability of resorts Distinguished tourist.
Al-Hawari expressed his pride in the great achievements made by the Jordanian health sector, both public and private, that contributed to strengthening Jordan''s tourism capabilities, appreciating the efforts made by the Chairman and members of the Board of Directors of the Private Hospitals Association in organizing the forum.
For his part, the President of the Private Hospitals Association and the Chairman of the Forum, Dr. Fawzi Al-Hamouri, said during the opening that the forum is the largest in the world in the field of medical tourism and health travel, and it lasts for two days, and includes 11 specialized sessions in various fields related to the sector, appreciating the royal support for the medical and hospital tourism sector in the Kingdom. .
He stressed the importance of the forum to promote the eight health travel axes mentioned in the Oman Declaration 2017, including medical tourism, dental tourism, hospital tourism, resort tourism, healthy food tourism, sports tourism, retirement tourism, and tourism accessible to all.
He stressed that the expansion of these axes contributes to increasing the number of arrivals to Jordan, increases treasury revenues from hard currencies, contributes to the stability of the Jordanian dinar, employs more Jordanian citizens, and reduces the unemployment rate.
He indicated that the exhibition, which is held on the sidelines of the forum, is attended by hospitals concerned with medical tourism, medical device and equipment companies, pharmaceutical and insurance companies, banks, and Royal Jordanian Airlines, the official carrier of the forum, to contribute to providing an opportunity for cooperation between providers and buyers of health services and the signing of bilateral agreements.
Dr. Al-Hamouri expressed his hope that the forum would produce positive results that would contribute to strengthening Jordan''s position as a destination for medical and hospital tourism in the region, and for Amman to be the capital of Arab medicine, in light of the Kingdom''s excellence in various medical fields, and its great achievements in conducting pioneering medical operations.
For her part, Dr. Haifa Abu-Ghazaleh, Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League, said that the global forum is an opportunity to exchange experiences and information between various Arab health institutions, and to serious cooperation partnerships to develop medical tourism sectors in the future, contribute to achieving comprehensive health coverage, and invest in capacity building. Health human resources, benefiting from the digital transformation that the world is witnessing and its reflection on the development of administrative systems in various health sectors in the Arab region.
Abu-Ghazaleh stressed the endeavor of the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States, through the Council of Arab Ministers of Health, to increase the volume of investment in medical tourism, especially that the Arab region is rich in its medical resources that qualify it to become a global destination in the field of medical tourism, stressing the importance of the forum organized in Jordan because of what it represents. It is necessary for the Arab region and contributes significantly to laying the foundations for cooperation and exchange of experiences between Arab countries.
The opening of the forum was attended by Jordanian and Arab ministers and a number of officials in the Arab and foreign ministries of health, in addition to ambassadors and diplomats, and representatives of local and international bodies specialized in the health sector, medical tourism and health travel, including hospitals and health care centers, doctors, relevant international bodies and institutions, insurance companies, medicines and equipment. Medical, representing 51 countries, in addition to representatives of local, Arab and international media, while about 76 speakers from all different sectors concerned with medical tourism and health travel will participate in the sessions.
During the opening of the forum, a video was shown highlighting the various Jordanian achievements, including security and medical ones, and the most prominent pioneering operations that were conducted in the Kingdom''s hospitals.
