No Result
View All Result
Sunday, September 24, 2023
26 °c
Tripoli
24 ° Mon
24 ° Tue
24 ° Wed
25 ° Thu
  • Advertising
  • Contact
LibyaHerald
 
  • Home
  • Libya
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Magazine
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Register
SUBSCRIBE
  • Home
  • Libya
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Magazine
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Register
No Result
View All Result
LibyaHerald
No Result
View All Result
Home Libya

Jordan hospitals still not completely paid but now treating Libyans for advance payments

byNigel Ash
September 22, 2013
Reading Time: 3 mins read
A A
Jordan hospitals still not completely paid but now treating Libyans for advance payments
12
SHARES
53
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

By Callum Paton

Benghazi chef Salem Soliman: “Never under the old regime” (Photo: Calum Paton)

Amman 22, September 2013:

The chairman of Jordan’s Private Hospitals Association has said he is saddened that Libyan officials have . . .[restrict]not thanked Jordan’s health care providers since the Arab kingdom treated some 80,000 patients in the aftermath of the revolution.

Speaking to the Libya Herald, Dr. Fawzi Al-Hammouri, head of Jordan’s private hospitals said: “I expected the Libyan government to say thank you; they did not say thank you. They are just suspicious of our bills.”

Al-Hammouri went on to say: “Still this issue has not been settled and now we are talking about a period of more than two years.”

RELATED POSTS

Benghazi Chamber of Commerce hosts trade delegation from Egypt, Jordan and Oman

Top law firm joins new British Libyan Business Association

Private health care providers in Jordan are owed around $80 million after tens of thousands of Libyan war-wounded were transferred to the country’s hospitals since the toppling of Qaddafi in 2011. Jordan’s private health sector took on by far the largest share of Libyan patients.

While none wounded from the fighting remain, Jordan’s hospitals have only recently recovered from a crisis which saw a number of private providers face bankruptcy. At their height, debts to the Hashemite Kingdom exceeded $200 million.

The Jordanian private hospital chief would not reveal which hospitals had faced proceedings from the banks. He did say however, that those which had faced pressure to the extent they stopped receiving inventory from medical supply companies had been given priority when repayment began.

At the peak of the crisis, Libyan patients with guarantees from the government were turned away from Jordanian private hospitals, as the Libya Herald reported in February.

Dr. Al-Hammouri explained that during the same period, Jordanian patients also had to be turned away because of the high number of Libyans: “Actually, we were unable to admit Jordanian patients. There was a lot of talk in our newspapers and in the media and there were no beds for the Jordanians. There was a negative image for the private hospitals during this crisis. Still we expected from the Libyan government to appreciate what we had done.”

Patient numbers and medical costs were inflated as non-specified treatments became widespread under the agreement between the government and Jordanian hospitals which began in November 2011. Reports of revolutionaries arranging for family members to undergo IVF fertilisation treatment or other procedures in dubious circumstances led some to accuse foreign clinics of colluding with Libyan patients to capitalise on the confusion at the time.

Refuting these claims  Al-Hammouri said: “For the IVF and the other non-emergency services, they have been referred with their official letters; so they did not ask for it just like this. In fact they have a referral letter from their committee.”

Disagreements over the validity of treatments have been the main cause of delayed payments, with the NTC’s Health Minister Fatima Hamroush suspending the auditing of bills by a Jordanian company earlier this year , replacing it with PricewaterhouseCoopers. The British auditing company should finalise its findings in the coming months and the Jordanian Private Hospital Association is hopeful the outstanding bills will be paid soon.

Far from souring the relationship between the Libyan government and Jordan’s private hospitals, civilian patients, most with conditions not directly related to the 2011 insurrection, are now being treated under special arrangement in Jordan. Their bills are paid by the Libyan Ministry of Health in advance.

At the Specialty Hospital, a private facility in north east Amman with beds for 26 patients, there are four Libyan patients currently being treated under such arrangements. Salem Soliman, a chef from Benghazi had been transferred to the hospital five days earlier. Despite his illness, he was glad to be in Jordan, and called it his second home.

Salem is suffering from a cancerous tumour in his leg which spread throughout his body. He explained that the cancer, now terminal, was left untreated under the Qaddafi regime, despite several applications to see a doctor.

“I could never have expected this kind of treatment in Libya before the revolution,” Salem said, “before I would have needed good connections to get treated outside of Libya but now everyone is treated the same. There is a one hundred percent difference between then and now.”

Similarly, Dr. Ramadan, a lecturer in Biology from Benghazi, was aware of the drastic change in health policy. Undergoing treatment for lesions in the brain he said: “You had to be very close to the government before to receive this kind of treatment and I don’t think I would have been able to afford to come here myself.”

Dr. Al-Hammouri commented that he feels the arrangement marks a new beginning for health care between Libya and Jordan, saying that the common language, a lack of visa restrictions and reasonable prices and quality of care, ensured the relationship would continue. “There is a big trust with the medical sector in Jordan from the Libyan patients,” he added.

The Jordan Times reported in September a statement from the head of the Libyan Patients’ Affairs Committee in Amman explaining that outstanding debts to Jordan’s private hospitals would be paid once stability was restored in Libya.

 

The Libyan embassy in Amman could not be reached for comment. [/restrict]

 
Tags: featuredhospitalsJordanLibyatreatmentunpaid bills
Share5Tweet3Share1

Related Posts

UNSMIL: Warring parties invited to begin negotiations on 29 September
Libya

UNSMIL head Bathily calls on polarised Libyan political entities to follow their citizen’s lead by unifying post the Derna disaster

September 24, 2023
Libya’s eastern government meets Egyptian companies to discuss post Storm Daniel reconstruction
Libya

Eastern Libyan government calls for international reconstruction conference for Flood Daniel hit areas

September 24, 2023
Al-Ruqaii seizure violates human rights, says Amnesty International
Libya

Eastern Libya authorities must lift restrictions on journalists: Amnesty International

September 22, 2023
Providing psychosocial support to the thousands affected by Storm Daniel is a priority: UN
Libya

Providing psychosocial support to the thousands affected by Storm Daniel is a priority: UN

September 22, 2023
After the Derna dams disaster, dams in Benghazi and Sirte receive attention
Libya

After the Derna dams disaster, dams in Benghazi and Sirte receive attention

September 22, 2023
Minister of Local Government meets German and Italian ambassadors to discuss Flood Daniel aid and reconstruction
Libya

Minister of Local Government meets German and Italian ambassadors to discuss Flood Daniel aid and reconstruction

September 21, 2023
Next Post
Fezzan: no state, three peoples

Fezzan: no state, three peoples

Copper thieves cut power to parts of Jalo

 

Advertise on LibyaHerald

Reach thousands of our site visitors daily

240 x 400px

Advertise Here
ADVERTISEMENT

Top Stories

  • Derna disaster update: Five Greek aid workers die in road accident, Spanish and Maltese teams return home

    Derna disaster update: Five Greek aid workers die in road accident, Spanish and Maltese teams return home

    97 shares
    Share 39 Tweet 24
  • UN’s Derna overview: Officially, only 3,958 confirmed dead and 40,000 displaced

    71 shares
    Share 33 Tweet 16
  • Attorney General launches investigation into Derna dam failures, as aid continues to arrive by air and sea

    70 shares
    Share 29 Tweet 17
  • Latest UN satellite imagery shows extent of Storm Daniel destruction in Derna

    123 shares
    Share 50 Tweet 31
  • EU Copernicus satellite images of Flood Daniel hit Libya released

    54 shares
    Share 25 Tweet 12
LibyaHerald

The Libya Herald first appeared on 17 February 2012 – the first anniversary of the Libyan Revolution. Since then, it has become a favourite go-to source on news about Libya, for many in Libya and around the world, regularly attracting millions of hits.

Recent News

UNSMIL head Bathily calls on polarised Libyan political entities to follow their citizen’s lead by unifying post the Derna disaster

Eastern Libyan government calls for international reconstruction conference for Flood Daniel hit areas

Sitemap

  • Why subscribe?
  • Terms & Conditions
  • FAQs
  • Copyright & Intellectual Property Rights
  • Subscribe now

Newsletters

    Be the first to know latest important news & events directly to your inbox.

    Sending ...

    By signing up, I agree to our TOS and Privacy Policy.

    © 2022 LibyaHerald - Powered by Sparx Solutions.

    No Result
    View All Result
    • Login
    • Sign Up
    • Cart
    • Libya
    • Business
    • Advertising
    • About us
    • BusinessEye Magazine
    • Letters
    • Features
    • Why subscribe?
    • FAQs
    • Contact

    © 2022 LibyaHerald - Powered by Sparx Solutions.

    Welcome Back!

    Sign In with Facebook
    Sign In with Linked In
    OR

    Login to your account below

    Forgotten Password? Sign Up

    Create New Account!

    Sign Up with Facebook
    Sign Up with Linked In
    OR

    Fill the forms bellow to register

    *By registering into our website, you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
    All fields are required. Log In

    Retrieve your password

    Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

    Log In
    This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
    Are you sure want to unlock this post?
    Unlock left : 0
    Are you sure want to cancel subscription?