The Jordanian Ministry of Health is considering providing uninsured state school students with medical insurance.

Omar Al Razzaz, the Minister of Education, requested that the Ministry of Health complies by the Public Health Law No. 47 of 2008 concerning school health.

On 22 August, Al Razzaz had officially written to the Minister of Health requesting him to “kindly exempt state school students who are not medically insured from paying for doctors’ consultation fees and medical treatment, especially in emergency cases at hospital and medical centres affiliated to your ministry.”

The Minister of Education responded to Al Razzaz on the same day, noting that “school health services are provided free of charge to all state school students under the instructions of Article 6, issued under the provisions of Article 19, and of the Health Insurance Law No. 83 of 2004 and its amendments.

“The ministry is currently studying the possibility of medically-insuring state school students.”

State schools are periodically visited by a doctor and a dentist to check up on students’ health.

According to a government source, the number of state school students in need of medical insurance does not exceed 300,000.

There are 7076 schools in the Kingdom, 3813 of which are state-owned.