JORDAN – The Kingdom of Jordan has secured €39 million (nearly US$43 million) from Germany, through its KfW Development Bank, to establish a centre for epidemic preparedness and response.
This financing agreement was presided over by KfW representatives, the Jordanian Minister of Finance Mohamad Al-Ississ, and the Head of the National Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases Centre (NEIDC), Raeda Qutob.
It comes as the country is facing major challenges that are exacerbated by the influx of a large number of refugees from Syria following a devastating earthquake there in February this year.
The agreement aligns with the German government’s keenness to cooperate in development and in combating epidemics and managing diseases in developing countries.
Similarly, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the KfW Development Bank continuously shows an unwavering commitment to vulnerable children in Jordan.
KfW also expanded its ongoing programme in the Jordanian water sector since 2012 on behalf of the German Federal Government.
Following a royal directive, Jordan’s new centre for epidemic preparedness and response will work autonomously without intersecting with the activities of existing national agencies.
The Jordanian center is expected to coordinate with government entities responsible for the implementation of public health activities, analyse evidence-based data and design in-person training programs.
The soon-to-be-established facility will work closely with the NEIDC officials in dealing with pandemics, diseases, and any threats affecting public health.
This strategic move aligns with NEIDC’s role as an essential body concerned with preparedness to confront pandemics, diseases, and health threats.
The National Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases Centre presented its strategic axes for the period 2023–2025 at the beginning of this year.
The strategy focuses on bolstering Jordan’s health security and supporting the availability and integration of high-quality monitoring data to guide national evidence-based public health practices and policies.
With backing from the German Credit Agency for Reconstruction, Jordan plans to set up the new specialised centre in Amman to enhance access to essential health services.
The center will help to maintain biological security, prevent epidemics and curb the spread of communicable and non-communicable diseases in the Arab country.
The bank loan will be used to finance the construction of a permanent building for the new centre and the acquisition of state-of-the-art equipment and technology.
The allocated amount will fund a permanent building for the centre, as well as new equipment and technology, she said, noting that the
Moreover, these fresh funds will be used to support the center’s collaboration with relevant government partners and the deployment of trainees to respond to public health crises.
The funding comes as the Kingdom’s medical policy has transformed into a “well-constructed” model for health crisis response as the was on the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
Jordan’s response plan comprehensively considered a recovery plan, the stability of the healthcare system, training sector personnel, and enhancing partnerships with the private health sector.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, government health systems across the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey region are increasingly exploring public-private partnerships (PPPs) as a model to address public health challenges.
In 2019, the total amount of development assistance for health applied toward pandemic preparedness came to a total of US$374 million, which is less than 1 percent of all development assistance.
According to the Institute for Health Metrics (IMHE). some US$5.2 billion was spent on strengthening health systems, some of which should have improved countries’ ability to deal with global epidemics.
An additional US$2.4 billion was spent on infectious diseases (excluding funds for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, which collectively received US$13.5 billion in 2019).
Healthcare PPPs offer an approach that relieves the upfront capital burden on health ministries and fosters new operating models that can treat more patients more quickly, at a lower cost, and with improved health outcomes.
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