jordan pulse -

A recent report by the World Bank revealed the disbursement of $100.65 million out of a total $400 million financing package for the Health Sector Reform Program in Jordan, which aims to improve the efficiency of public health spending and the quality of primary healthcare services.
​According to the program's Implementation Status and Results Report, the total $400 million funding comprises $349 million from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and $51 million from a trust fund. Of the $100.65 million disbursed so far, $87.9 million came from World Bank financing and $12.75 million from the trust fund, leaving $299.35 million undisbursed, with no funds canceled.
​The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved the program on June 12, 2026, and it entered into force on July 8, set to run until June 30, 2031. The Bank rated progress toward achieving the program’s development objective as "satisfactory," with overall implementation progress rated at the same level.
​The report noted that the program is still in its early implementation phase, with current efforts focusing on finalizing implementation arrangements, operational readiness, and laying the necessary foundations to achieve its results. The Ministry of Health has officially engaged relevant technical departments regarding implementation responsibilities, result-based disbursement indicators, and the results framework.
​The report recorded an acceleration in readiness activities supported by the project preparation grant facility, including the launch of the national breast cancer screening initiative, the mobilization of key consultants to support implementation, and continued progress on the digital health systems enhancement and interoperability package.
​The program rests on two main result areas:
​Strengthening the efficiency, governance, and accountability of public health spending by improving billing and accounting systems, digitally managing referrals, and better targeting health subsidies.
​Enhancing the quality of primary healthcare services by expanding screening and early detection for priority non-communicable diseases and breast cancer, as well as increasing access to specialized services through telemedicine.
​Key Performance Indicators
​The report indicated that new arrears in the health sector reached 113 million JOD, with the program targeting a reduction to zero by June 2031.
​In primary healthcare, the proportion of eligible individuals screened for type 2 diabetes stood at 9.7%, with a target to raise it to 15.5% by June 2031. The percentage of eligible women screened for breast cancer reached 2.2%, against a final target of 7%.
​The program aims to train 27 Ministry of Health hospitals and 302 primary healthcare centers on medical referral protocols and the use of the digital medical referral management system, alongside establishing a unified database for Health Insurance Fund beneficiaries.
​It also targets an 80% reduction in unnecessary and avoidable internal and emergency medical referrals from the Ministry of Health to non-ministry facilities, as well as an 80% reduction in unnecessary external referrals, in addition to identifying and registering 513,700 Health Insurance Fund beneficiaries using the Unified National Registry.
​In terms of service utilization, the program targets reaching 1 million people through outpatient services, aiming for 480,000 females among Jordanian beneficiaries.
​Under result-linked targets, the program seeks to increase the number of adults screened for hypertension from a baseline of 144,570 to 1,144,570, and raise the number of eligible people screened for type 2 diabetes from 57,035 to 457,035.
​It also aims to screen 46,000 high-risk individuals for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), provide 119 spirometers to Ministry of Health primary healthcare facilities, and increase the number of eligible women screened for breast cancer from 7,500 to 60,000.
​In digital health and specialized services, the program targets delivering 184,500 teleradiology services and 240,000 telemedicine consultations by the end of the implementation period.
​The program links part of its funding to achieving specific result indicators, including $53.1275 million for increasing the number of Ministry of Health hospitals providing comprehensive monthly spending data, $20 million for reducing unnecessary internal and emergency referrals, $60 million for reducing unnecessary external referrals, and $50 million for identifying and registering Health Insurance Fund beneficiaries using the Unified National Registry.
​Source: Rum News Agency