The World Bank has disbursed $100.65 million out of total financing of $400 million for Jordan’s Health Sector Reform Program, which aims to improve the efficiency of public health spending and the quality of primary healthcare services, according to a recent World Bank report.
According to the program’s Implementation Status and Results Report, monitored by Al Mamlaka, the total $400 million in financing consists of $349 million from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and $51 million from a trust fund. Of the total, $100.65 million has been disbursed, including $87.9 million in World Bank financing and $12.75 million from the fund, leaving $299.35 million undisbursed, with no financing canceled.
The World Bank’s Executive Board approved the program on June 12, 2026, and it became effective on July 8. It is scheduled to run until June 30, 2031. The bank rated progress toward achieving the program’s development objective as “satisfactory,” with overall implementation progress receiving the same rating.
The report said the program remains in its early stages of implementation, with current efforts focused on completing implementation arrangements, operational readiness and establishing the foundations needed to achieve its intended results. The Ministry of Health has formally involved relevant technical departments in program implementation responsibilities, results-linked disbursement indicators and the results framework.
The report also noted accelerated readiness activities supported by the Project Preparation Grant Facility, including the launch of the national breast cancer screening initiative, mobilization of key consultants to support implementation, and continued progress on the health systems digitalization and interoperability package.
The program is built around two main results areas. The first focuses on improving the efficiency, governance and accountability of public health spending through better billing and accounting systems, digital referral management and improved targeting of health support. The second aims to improve the quality of primary healthcare services by expanding screening and early detection for priority noncommunicable diseases and breast cancer, while increasing access to specialized services through telemedicine.
Key Results Indicators
The report said new arrears in the health sector stood at JD113 million, while the program aims to reduce them to zero by June 2031.
In primary healthcare, 9.7% of the eligible population had undergone screening for type 2 diabetes, with the program targeting an increase to 15.5% by June 2031. The share of eligible women screened for breast cancer stood at 2.2%, against a final target of 7%.
The program aims to train 27 Ministry of Health hospitals and 302 primary healthcare centers on the medical referral protocol and the use of the digital referral management system. It also seeks to establish a unified database of beneficiaries of the Health Insurance Fund.
The program further targets an 80% reduction in unnecessary and avoidable internal and emergency referrals from the Ministry of Health to facilities outside the ministry, as well as an 80% reduction in unnecessary and avoidable external referrals. It also aims to identify and register 513,700 Health Insurance Fund beneficiaries using the unified national registry.
In terms of service utilization, the program targets one million outpatient visits, including 480,000 female Jordanian beneficiaries.
According to the results targets, the program seeks to increase the number of adults screened for hypertension from a baseline of 144,570 to 1,144,570, while increasing the number of eligible people screened for type 2 diabetes from 57,035 to 457,035.
It also aims to screen 46,000 high-risk individuals for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and provide 119 spirometry devices at Ministry of Health primary healthcare facilities. In addition, the program seeks to increase the number of eligible women screened for breast cancer from 7,500 to 60,000.
In digital health and specialized services, the program targets the provision of 184,500 tele-radiology services and 240,000 telemedicine consultations by the end of the implementation period.
Part of the program’s financing is linked to the achievement of specific results indicators. These include $53.1275 million for increasing the number of Ministry of Health hospitals providing comprehensive monthly expenditure data, $20 million for reducing unnecessary internal and emergency referrals, $60 million for reducing unnecessary external referrals, and $50 million for identifying and registering Health Insurance Fund beneficiaries through the unified national registry.
Other results-linked allocations include $40 million for hypertension screening, $40 million for type 2 diabetes screening, $30 million for COPD screening, and $35 million for breast cancer screening, in addition to $41 million for tele-radiology services and $30 million for telemedicine consultations.
Source: Al Mamlaka
