Jordan paid $2 billion towards health care services for Syrian refugees

Jordan paid nearly $2 billion towards health care services for Syrian refugees since the beginning of the Syrian conflict until the end of last year, a Jordanian government report revealed on Monday.

The government’s Coordinator on Human Rights Basil Tarawneh said that the health ministry has provided health care services to over two million Syrian refugees since the beginning of the crisis until the end of 2015.

Tarawneh explained that there are 1.3 million Syrian refugees residing in Jordan, the equivalent of 20 per cent of Jordan’s population. An estimated 660,000 refugees are registered with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Syrian refugees had access to health care services free of charge until the end of 2014 when Jordan issued a decision to treat them as uninsured Jordanian citizens due to the high cost of treatment. Maternal and child health care services, as well as thalassemia patients and vaccinations, are still provided free of charge.

According to the report, more than 200,000 Syrian refugees have received treatment in Jordan over the past year.