On Wednesday, Health Minister Dr. Feras Al-Hawari opened six medicine warehouses in the northern region and a vaccination center in Irbid Governorate, funded by the European Union and implemented by the World Health Organization (WHO) Office in Jordan.
اضافة اعلان
During the opening ceremony, attended by EU Ambassador Pierre Christophe Chatzisavas, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr. Hanan Balkhy, WHO Representative in Jordan Dr. Jamila Al-Raabi, Irbid Governor Radwan Al-Atoum, and Ministry of Health's two General Secretaries, Dr. Ilham Khreissat (for Administrative and Technical Affairs) and Dr. Raed Al-Shboul (for Primary Health Care and Epidemics), Al-Hawari emphasized that the project is part of ongoing efforts to modernize and enhance medical supply chains, ensuring more efficient and equitable distribution of medicines and vaccines across the Kingdom in line with the Economic Modernization Vision.
He pointed out that today’s achievement is part of an integrated project to modernize the infrastructure of supply chains, which started with the establishment of the Ministry of Health's strategic medical storage warehouse, inaugurated by His Majesty King Abdullah II in Yajouz, Zarqa Governorate, at the end of last year. This warehouse aims to provide a four-month strategic stock for the Kingdom's pharmaceutical security. Efforts are also ongoing to update four warehouses in the south and create two more in Amman.
Dr. Al-Hawari explained that the newly opened medicine warehouses and vaccination center in the northern region will work together with the Yajouz strategic medical stockpile to supply provincial warehouses, hospitals, health directorates, and primary healthcare centers with medicines and vaccines.
He praised the support from the European Union and the efforts of the WHO office in Jordan in making this project successful and enhancing Jordan’s efforts in strengthening its medical supply chains.
He also highlighted that the storage capacity of the northern region’s medicine warehouses had been increased to 2,650 cubic meters by creating a special shelving system, with an additional 20% expansion capacity for emergency situations. The warehouses are equipped with advanced technologies, including various forklifts, a 75-cubic-meter refrigeration room for storing refrigerated medicines, a central air conditioning and ventilation system, security monitoring, a fire-fighting system for safety, a renewable energy system for environmental sustainability, and a refrigerated medical transport fleet to ensure quick and safe distribution of medicines and medical supplies to hospitals, primary healthcare centers, and sub-warehouses in the northern region, with a total cost of approximately 850,000 Jordanian Dinars.
Dr. Al-Hawari emphasized that the vaccination center for the northern region and the updated medicine warehouses represent a pivotal step towards building a resilient and responsive health infrastructure that aligns with WHO’s international supply chain management standards, which are key to achieving universal health coverage.
The vaccination center, with a total internal area of 480 square meters, includes two refrigeration rooms with a storage capacity of 80 cubic meters, as well as storage rooms for dry materials and medical supplies with a capacity of 160 cubic meters. It also includes two central vaccination clinics, with the potential to increase storage capacity when needed. This center was built according to the highest international standards to ensure the safety and efficacy of vaccines, enhancing storage capacity, reducing storage and distribution costs, and supporting the national vaccination program in the northern governorates, with a total cost of approximately 400,000 Jordanian Dinars.
For his part, the EU Ambassador to Jordan, Pierre Christophe Chatzisavas, said that the opening of the modern regional warehouses and vaccination center is an important step towards enhancing universal health coverage in Jordan, as part of the EU’s program with funding amounting to 43 million euros. He explained that the partnership with the Ministry of Health and WHO plays a key role in developing medical supply chain management and improving access to high-quality and affordable healthcare for Jordanians and Syrian refugees alike.
Dr. Hanan Balkhy, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, noted that the availability of safe, effective, high-quality, and affordable essential medicines and vaccines is essential for providing effective healthcare. She added that such vital investments in infrastructure would help modernize and strengthen medical supply chains in Jordan, in line with the WHO regional initiative to expand equitable access to medical products.
Dr. Jamila Al-Raabi, WHO Representative in Jordan, highlighted the positive impact of these developments on Jordan's healthcare system, noting that the new facilities are part of a larger initiative that includes 14 warehouses built or rehabilitated with WHO support and EU funding. She added that with the completion of these facilities by the end of March, Jordan will have a comprehensive national network of modern supply chain infrastructure meeting the highest international standards.
She concluded by stressing the importance of strong partnerships and sustainable investments in public health to ensure citizens' access to essential medicines and vaccines without interruption, noting that this achievement is part of the regional initiative launched by Dr. Hanan Balkhy, which aims to enhance equitable access to medicines and supply chains in the Eastern Mediterranean region.
This project marks a significant milestone in the development of Jordan’s healthcare sector, paving the way for more efficient and sustainable infrastructure and contributing to ensuring access to essential health services for every individual while strengthening the Kingdom’s ability to tackle future health challenges.
-- (Petra)
