AMMAN: The Jordanian government has threatened to place the country’s private hospitals under state control to cope with a surge in COVID-19 cases.
In a bid to cope with a sharp increase in demand for hospital and intensive care beds, Minister of State for Media Affairs Sakher Dudin said that the government had set up a number of field hospitals across the kingdom and had rented four private hospitals.
“But the health care system is now on the line with the surge in coronavirus cases,” he said on Sunday.
Asked whether the government would nationalize private hospitals to deal with rising cases, the minister said: “Yes, of course, the government would activate the defense order related to taking over private hospitals and health care providers, if it requires, to slow the spread of coronavirus.”
Jordan has seen a surge in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks with hospital occupancy rates reaching around 70 percent.
Health authorities reported 4,399 new cases of COVID-19 and 98 additional deaths on Saturday, bringing the county’s total cases to 582,133, with 6,472 fatalities.
Jordan has 70 private hospitals, two university hospitals, 31 public hospitals and 15 royal medical services hospitals.
Dudin said that the government had signed deals with COVID-19 vaccine producers to import 10.2 million jabs — enough to vaccinate more than 50 percent of the kingdom’s 10 million population. Some 440,000 doses have already arrived and more than 10 million jabs are to arrive in June, September and December.
Contracts have been signed for the Sinopharm vaccine from China, the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, Russia’s Sputnik V and the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab.
Jordan considers state takeover of private hospitals to cope with COVID-19 surge
https://arab.news/jvujw
Jordan considers state takeover of private hospitals to cope with COVID-19 surge
- Jordan has seen a surge in COVID-19 cases recently with hospital occupancy rates reaching around 70%
- The country has 70 private hospitals, two university hospitals, 31 public hospitals and 15 royal medical services hospitals
Syria begins mine clearance at UNESCO-listed Ruwayha site in Idlib
- Teams are conducting field surveys and clearing minefields to support restoration efforts and provide a safe environment for visitors
DUBAI: Engineering teams have begun removing mines and unexploded ordnance from the archaeological site of Ruwayha in southern Idlib, Syria’s state news agency SANA reported on Tuesday.
The operation is part of a broader plan by the Idlib Directorate of Antiquities to protect and preserve historical sites across the Jabal Al-Zawiya region, which includes more than ten locations listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Ruwayha is part of the UNESCO-listed “Ancient Villages of Northern Syria,” a collection of well-preserved Byzantine-era settlements dating back to the 4th and 6th centuries.
Hassan Al-Ismail, director of antiquities in Idlib, said the project aims to clear war remnants, document damage caused during the conflict, and allow local communities to safely access the sites.
“The primary goal is to remove mines and war remnants from archaeological sites and enable the local community to return, while revitalizing domestic tourism and reopening the country to visitors,” Al-Ismail told SANA.
The work is being carried out in cooperation with the Heritage for Peace organization and under the supervision of the General Directorate of Antiquities and Museums, with coordination from the Ministry of Defense, which deployed specialized engineering units.
