The Healthcare System in Jordan: Organisation, Access for a Foreigner, Emergencies and Prevention

The Ministry of Health website presents a system organised into regional health directorates, primary care health centres, ministry hospitals, the Higher Health Council, the Jordan Medical Council and the Jordan Food and Drug Administration. An online directory lists the hospitals, health centres and licensed pharmacies, and specialised centres, such as the national centre for diabetes, endocrinology and genetic diseases, complete the offer.

The Royal Medical Services, attached to the Jordanian armed forces, form another public channel, separate from the Ministry of Health. The private sector completes the whole and is in practice the route of access for foreign residents who fall under no public scheme. France Diplomatie, for its part, describes healthcare conditions in Jordan as generally good.

The International Labour Organization notes, in its December 2023 briefing, that the law does not provide for compulsory health insurance for the ordinary private-sector employee, whereas the employer must take out private health insurance for its domestic workers (Regulation No. 90 of 2009). The Social Security Corporation benefits described in the same briefing are pensions and daily allowances for work accidents, maternity and unemployment: they do not replace cover for routine care. The Ministry of Health also publishes information on health insurance on its website through its directorates.

For a locally hired employee, the employment contract must therefore state whether the employer funds private insurance and what cover it includes. For a resident without an employer (retiree, self-employed), cover is obtained through the CFE or through international insurance. The French embassy points out that the French State does not cover healthcare costs incurred abroad, and CLEISS lists no social security agreement between France and Jordan: the Carte Vitale gives no right to reimbursement on the spot. The page on healthcare reimbursement in Jordan details each situation.

Day to day, residents consult at the ministry’s health centres, which provide primary care, or at private practices and clinics. It is useful to identify a general practitioner, a pharmacy and the hospital nearest your home as soon as you arrive. An employee generally presents their insurance card; a self-employed person or retiree pays upfront and claims reimbursement from their insurer, with itemised invoices.

The Ministry of Health offers an appointment booking portal for the medical examinations of foreign workers (health certificate required for certain professions), and an electronic platform for health professions. For a stay of more than three months, France Diplomatie indicates that several screening tests, including for HIV, are compulsory for any extension; your regular doctor or the examination centre will explain the steps before departure.

The police number is 911 (France Diplomatie). The guidance mentions a hyperbaric chamber at Prince Hashem Hospital in Aqaba for divers, and recalls the risks of the road: frequent accidents linked to speeding and inadequate signage, with a recommendation to avoid driving at night unless necessary. The Ministry of Health’s public hospitals are spread across the country; the list can be consulted on its website.

France Diplomatie asks you to hold insurance covering medical costs and emergency repatriation: these costs can in no case be covered by the embassy. A policy that includes medical repatriation spares you from advancing high costs; see the page on repatriation and assistance and the guide to how a medical repatriation works. The France Diplomatie guidance also recommends staying alert to warning sirens and following the embassy’s instructions.

France Diplomatie points out that certain medicines require a prescription and may be considered illicit without one. A traveller on treatment carries their medicines in their original packaging, with a prescription stating the international non-proprietary name. The guidance advises against buying medicines on the street.

The Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA), an independent authority, registers medicines, controls their prices and monitors the market; it also regulates the import of medicines for personal use by travellers and residents, warning against any import for commercial purposes. For long-term treatment, a stock for the duration of the trip and a medical contact on the spot make follow-up easier.

The Labour Code grants 14 days of sick leave a year on full pay on the certificate of a doctor approved by the establishment, renewable for 14 days on full pay in the event of hospitalisation, and 10 weeks of paid maternity leave, of which at least six after childbirth; one hour a day may then be devoted to breastfeeding for a year. Workers registered with the Social Security Corporation receive 10 weeks of maternity leave on full pay and, according to the International Labour Organization, childcare support for six months; fathers are entitled to three days of leave.

Employers with more than 20 employees assess risks, appoint safety supervisors and designate part-time doctors and nurses or contract with hospitals or health centres to care for their staff, under 2023 regulations cited by the International Labour Organization. These rules protect pay and occupational health; cover for routine care remains to be arranged through the employer’s insurance, the CFE or an international policy.

France Diplomatie recommends being up to date with the vaccinations of the French schedule, notably against diphtheria, tetanus, polio, whooping cough and measles. Depending on the conditions of the stay, it adds hepatitis A, typhoid fever, tuberculosis for children under 15, rabies, hepatitis B and mpox. It flags a rise in measles cases (alert of 13 March 2026), the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (no vaccine; hygiene and keeping away from dromedaries), typhoid fever, polio and rabies (avoid contact with animals and seek medical advice without delay after an exposure).

The recommended hygiene measures are simple: wash your hands before meals, eat only cooked food and drink bottled beverages with a sealed cap, avoid raw food. Your regular doctor or an international vaccination centre adapts this advice to each profile; the guide to the medical questionnaire and medical history helps you prepare your insurance application. For settling in, see also the page on living in Jordan.