Jordan's Minister of Health, Ibrahim Al-Budour, announced that the health cooperation between Jordan and Syria has officially moved from the stage of theoretical understandings to actual implementation on the ground.

Al-Budour revealed in statements to Al-Jazeera that his recent visit to Damascus at the head of a high-level health delegation resulted in the signing of an agreement by the Syrian side with the King Hussein Cancer Center to treat Syrian oncology patients in the Kingdom.

He pointed out that the health cooperation between the two countries has moved from the stage of understandings to the actual implementation on the ground, and that the visit resulted in practical steps, most notably:

The Syrian side signed an agreement with the King Hussein Cancer Center to treat Syrian cancer patients.

Agreeing to send a Syrian medical delegation to visit King Abdullah Hospital, which was established in northern Jordan, to discuss its transformation into a referral center for Syrian patients, due to its proximity to the border and its advanced medical competencies and expertise in various specialties.

Fast Pass and Cadre Qualification

He added that the two sides also agreed to organize a rapid mechanism for the passage of Syrian patients through the Jaber crossing, in coordination with the Jordanian Ministry of Interior and the concerned authorities, in order to ensure the establishment of a "fast corridor" for medical cases and facilitate the access of patients to Jordanian hospitals without delay, especially those referred for treatment at King Abdullah Hospital and the King Hussein Cancer Center.

"Syria is going through difficult conditions after years of war, as its hospitals have suffered significant damage, while a large number of its medical staff have emigrated, which has been reflected in the level of health services," the Jordanian health minister said

He added that "the cancer treatment sector in Syria needs great efforts to rehabilitate it and train its cadres, stressing that the King Hussein Cancer Center, as part of the Jordanian delegation, extends its hand to Syrian cadres to cooperate comprehensively, in a way that contributes to improving the services provided to patients."

According to him, the two parties discussed opportunities for health investment, including the entry of Jordanian private hospitals to provide their services inside Syria, or receiving Syrian patients and transferring them to Jordan to receive treatment, in order to enhance health integration between the two countries.

Pharmaceutical Investments & Facilities

At the level of medical economic integration, the two parties discussed opportunities for joint health investment, which includes the possibility of Jordanian private hospitals to provide their hospital services within Syrian territory, in addition to facilitating the access of Jordanian medicines to the Syrian market, especially those items officially approved by the Jordan Food and Drug Corporation by granting them immediate entry permits.

The Jordan News Agency (Petra) reported that these talks come as a translation of the directives of King Abdullah II of Jordan and Syrian President Ahmed Al-Shara, and to activate the outcomes of the joint Jordanian-Syrian Higher Coordinating Council, which includes in its delegations representatives from the National Center for Epidemiology, the Medical Council, the Pharmaceutical Producers Union, and the Association for Restoring Hope to Support Amputees.

Last week, Jordanian Minister of Health Ibrahim Al-Budour visited Syria at the head of an official delegation, where he discussed with his Syrian counterpart Musab al-Ali and officials in the Syrian health sector mechanisms to enhance bilateral cooperation, develop the partnership between the two countries, and translate signed agreements and understandings into executive projects that serve the health sector.