AMMAN — Jordan is among six
countries in the West Asia region that have in place a medical liability law,
out of 16, but the 2018 legislation is not implemented fully, a legal expert
has said, urging the full activation of a liability code to tap a “huge”
potential through encouraging patients from more countries to seek treatment in
the Kingdom.
اضافة اعلان
Lawyer and legal
researcher Naser Abu Rumman, who holds a PhD in medical responsibility and is
the founder and CEO of the Istanbul-based West Asia Consulting for Legal
Research (WAC), told
Jordan News that the US market in particular would
be highly lucrative if the law were properly enforced.
“Regardless of my
reservations regarding the law, due to its numerous loopholes, the enactment of
such a code was a step in the right direction,” he said.
According to him,
US insurance companies that follow medical treatment policies would be
interested in sending patients to a country with the reputation of Jordan in
the field of medicine, but such a move hinges on the availability of insurance
services for practitioners covering medical malpractice, which is enshrined in
the law, but not observed on the ground.
Abu Rumman added
that the cost of medical treatment in the US is very high, which has prompted
insurance companies to look for alternatives overseas as an economic necessity.
“If you look at the
bigger picture, activating the law, namely, getting doctors and hospitals to
buy policies covering medical liabilities, is a win-win for all. These very
practitioners will be covered in case of any malpractice, the patients in
Jordan, including foreigners, will feel more comfortable, and the country will
be gaining much from patients sent for treatment from abroad,” he said.
According to Abu
Rumman, revenues from medical tourism, albeit remaining a key contributor to
GDP, have declined since a peak of JD2 billion in 2011.
According to the
Medical Tourism Magazine, Jordan has 63 private hospitals and two university
centers that specialize in research and training. Support staff includes 32
nurses per 10,000 Jordanians, a figure on par with Thailand’s, considered an
international leader. The number of pharmacists in the Kingdom — 14 per 10,000
Jordanians — is comparable to that of Japan.
As WAC, a
non-profit organization, plans training for medical staff on medical liability,
there is an added value, “because more awareness means fewer (cases of
liability)”, he said.
“The opportunity is
there, we need to seize it. It is as simple as that,” he said.
WAC was co-founded
by jurists, mostly law professors, from 10 West Asian countries, to “educate,
raise awareness and conduct research”, Abu Rumman said.
He pointed out that
“the advocacy group is working toward encouraging medical responsibility
legislation in the remaining West Asian counties and an adequate infrastructure
supporting the system, to render these countries attractive to patients and
insurance companies in Western countries”.
“We cannot also
ignore the possibility that insurance companies covering medical liability
might find an opportunity in the region to expand their operation and open
branches,” he added.
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