The Libyan government will reimburse Jordan’s Private Hospital Association (PHA) US$250 million for medical services received by Libyans in Jordan. Unpaid medical bills accumulated by Libyans in the Kingdom once totalled US$350 million. Whether this time the bills will be paid remains to be seen.
The Jordan Economic Growth Plan for 2018-2022 acknowledges that the government must help the healthcare sector to continue to attract regional and international medical tourists.
The government accepts that to rejuvenate Jordan’s medical tourism sector and keep attracting patients in an increasingly competitive region, it must act.
Plans include the establishment of a commission to regulate the sector, easing visa requirements for patients seeking treatment in Jordan and their escorts, designing bundles of medical tourism services, and promoting the sector abroad.
The Libyan government will reimburse the Private Hospital Association (PHA) US$250 million for medical services received by Libyans in Jordan. Unpaid medical bills accumulated by Libyans in the Kingdom once totalled US$350 million. The debt is from after the Libyan Civil War had broken out in 2011.
The medical bills, which were accumulated by Libyans at 30 different private Jordanian hospitals, have been the subject of continuous negotiations between the PHA and the Libyan government since 2013.
The presence of two Libyan governments has made negotiations difficult and slow. The new agreement comes seven years after the start of the conflict. The debts were due to be paid back in three phases: US$125 million in December 2018, US$62.5 million in February 2019 and the remaining US$62.5 million in April 2019. Whether, this time, the bills will be paid, remains to be seen.
For a more detailed analysis of the medical travel sector in Jordan, visit the IMTJ Country Profile.
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