AMMAN: Jordan has signed two major foreign investment agreements in the health sector, worth a combined $187 million, in a move hailed as a significant step toward modernizing healthcare infrastructure and digital services.
Prime Minister Jafar Hassan witnessed the signing ceremony on Saturday alongside Saudi Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed, chairman of KBW Investments, and Maj. Gen. Yousef Huneiti, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Jordan News Agency reported.
The first agreement, between the Jordanian government and KBW Investments, will see the construction of the new Madaba Government Hospital.
The second, a digital transformation project in Royal Medical Services hospitals, was signed between the Jordanian Armed Forces and Farah Jordan Smart Cities Company, in which KBW holds a 49 percent stake.
The agreements represent the first wave of new foreign investment in the sector, with the government indicating plans to expand similar partnerships into areas such as transportation, infrastructure, and additional hospitals.
“This is the first government hospital built in partnership with the private sector after a delay of about 10 years. It is absolutely essential for the people of Madaba Governorate,” said Hassan.
He confirmed that the hospital would be fully government-run, with an initial capacity of 260 beds, expandable to 360, and is scheduled to open within three years.
The agreement to build the hospital was signed by Minister of Investment Muthanna Gharaibeh, Minister of Health Firas Hawari, and KBW’s CEO Ahmad Sallakh. It falls under the Jordan Investment Fund Law and marks the first partnership of its kind in the country between the government and private sector in this domain.
The 13-story hospital will span 54,000 sq. meters and include a wide range of medical facilities such as eight main operating rooms, 60 outpatient clinics, and 18 dialysis units. It will also house emergency and intensive care departments, lithotripsy and endoscopy units, medical laboratories, catheterization laboratories, and offer 830 parking spaces for visitors and staff.
Construction will begin this year, with KBW handling all building works. The government will take on full operational responsibilities, including staffing and equipping the facility.
Payment to the company will begin only after the project is completed, in installments over a 10-year period.
The second agreement focuses on the digitization of RMS facilities, including hospitals, health centers, warehouses, and other medical sites.
It aims to enhance efficiency in drug inventory, reduce waste, and modernize the management of medical assets and supplies. It also targets improved performance in laboratories and radiology services.
The deal was signed by the Assistant Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for Planning, Organization and Defense Resources Brig. Gen. Ammar Al-Sarayrah, and KBW’s CEO Sallakh.
Prince Khaled reaffirmed KBW’s commitment to investing in Jordan, calling it “our second home,” and added that KBW had been investing in the kingdom for over 10 years and was keen to expand across multiple sectors.
