Refugee and migrant health system review: challenges and opportunities for long-term health system strengthening in Jordan

Overview

Jordan has more than 3 million migrants (one third of the country's total population) and has witnessed three major waves of refugees in its modern history: Palestinians (1948 and 1967), Iraqis (1990 and 2000) and Syrians (since 2010). Under its commitment to achieving universal health coverage (UHC), Jordan has been continually supporting vulnerable populations such as refugees and migrants by offering subsidized access to essential health services.

World Health Organization (WHO) and the Jordan's Ministry of Health conducted a joint review mission to provide a comprehensive overview of the health system's response, with the aim of understanding service delivery challenges and identifying opportunities to further support Jordan in strengthening health system capacity and ensuring continued access to health services for refugees and host communities. The overall initiative supported the development of informed and evidence-based public health interventions, building upon existing public health system capacities, in essential public health functions such as emergency preparedness and response, risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) and research, as well as the traditional pillars of the health system.