Jordan: PM visits ministries of water, health and agriculture

Prime Minister Samir Rifai said Sunday that achieving water and food security and promoting health services figure high on the government's programs and policies.

Rifai made the remarks during separate visits for ministries of water, health and agriculture, to underscore their role in carrying out the main points of the government's comprehensive program, which will soon be presented to His Majesty King Abdullah II.

The cabinet, he said, would convene on January 22nd and 23rd to discuss action plans submitted by all ministries to prioritize the ministries' programs and goals that would contribute to achieving the seven points in the Letter of Designation.

These programs and goals would be the government action plans for 2010, the prime minister said.

At the Ministry of Water, the first leg of his tour, Rifai said it was important to forge ahead with mega projects, such as Disi project and the Red-Dead Sea Canal after completing its feasibility and environment studies and secure the needed international support and attract investors to execute it.

The Premier reiterated the rule of the law and its application firmly in cases of infringement on state-owned lands and water pipes across the Kingdom.

It is important, he said, to improve water distribution management and network to reduce water loss, which reaches 50 per cent in some areas.

Rifai called to improve water resources management, develop and attract new water resources and exploit non-traditional resources, through building dams, water harvest and protecting water from pollution and depletion.

He also called to attract the private sector to take part in water management and create an investment attracting environment to ease burden on the government and guarantee a high-level service for citizens.

Rifai said it was important to increase citizens' awareness on the importance of water and its scarcity as well as the best-use of water.

During a visit to the Ministry of Health, the second leg of his tour, the premier said His Majesty King Abdullah II attached great attention to health care presented to citizens, pointing to the need to achieve equity in access to health services for all Jordanians regardless of their residence.

With regard to violence against physicians, Rifai pointed to the discontent of His Majesty the King and Jordanians to some insult against doctors, stressing need to apply the law in these cases.

The prime minister stressed the importance of achieving "quality" assurance in health services through the enhancement of accredited facilities, health service and medical staff.

He called for applying decentralization in hospital management, setting a clear strategy in all hospitals and computerizing health sector.

Rifai also stressed the need to support and develop medical tourism in coordination with Ministry of Tourism and private sector to make Jordan a medical tourism hub at the regional and international level.

Rifai underlined the importance of setting objectives and performance indicators by the ministry to gouge the performance of health care in the Kingdom and the progress in achieving them.

At the Ministry of Agriculture, the final leg of his tour, Rifai said His Majesty the King attaches great importance for the agricultural sector.

He noted to his government's role and duties towards this important sector which include developing a mechanism to guarantee coordination in water, food and energy projects management.

The premier reiterated the importance of developing a sustainable agricultural sector in cooperation and coordination with concerned public departments.

He also stressed the need to involve the private sector in agricultural development planning.

"The agricultural sector consumes two thirds of the Kingdom's waters every year," Rifai said, adding that this fact underlines the importance of finding sustainable water resources management to protect these resources and develop irrigation methods.

The prime minister said it was important to market the agricultural products and support the Jordanian agricultural companies to help them compete with international peers.

This, he added, would contribute to the national economy through exporting their products to the regional and international markets.

Rifai called for protecting cooperative societies to support farmers, improve agricultural products and create a trade mark for the Jordanian products.