Background

Irbid’s Princess Rahma Pediatric Hospital (PRPH) is currently the only pediatric referral hospital for the four northern governorates (Irbid, Mafraq, Ajloun and Jerash), serving over 25% of Jordan’s population.  The current hospital capacity of 120 beds, including only 31 incubators and seven intensive care unit beds, barely meets the needs of the fast growing Jordanian and refugee population.  According to the United Nations, more than 620,000 Syrian refugees have crossed into Jordan since the conflict in Syria began, though the Government of Jordan (GOJ) reports over 1.4 million.  According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, over 60% of registered Syrian refugees reside in the north, mainly in Irbid and Mafraq.  The influx of Syrians has placed tremendous pressure on PRPH services and has led to a consistently full occupancy rate.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) determined there was an urgent need to expand PRPH, including the emergency department, operation rooms, and neonatal and intensive care units.  The MOH requested USAID assistance to carry out this expansion in order to meet the increased patient caseload and to provide adequate, quality health care to Jordanian and Syrian children.  In response to the GOJ’s request, USAID will assist the MOH in responding to the increased demand for pediatric health services by supporting the expansion of PRPH through multiple mechanisms, in line with USAID/Jordan’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy goals and objectives.

Project overview

The Princess Rahma Pediatric Hospital Expansion Project (RHE) aims to rehabilitate and expand the hospital to respond to critical needs resulting from the influx of Syrian refugees and increased demand for health services in the northern governorates.  The project will include host country contracts for construction services through the Ministry of Public Works and Housing (MPWH) and procurement of furniture and medical equipment through the MOH.  Full construction management and supervision services for the RHE project will be provided through a direct contract with a Jordanian Architecture and Engineering (A/E) firm.  The hospital expansion was designed by a local A/E firm procured by the MOH and approved by USAID and the MPWH.

Expected Outputs

The PRPH expansion project will improve important health services for host communities impacted by the influx of Syrian refugees. It will also assist in decreasing child mortality and morbidity rates through responding to the increased demand for tertiary medical services and improving their quality.

The RHE project will do the following:

1. Increase PRPH capacity by 35%
2. Improve critical hospital functions to comply with the American Institute of Architects (AIA) standards for hospitals and health care facilities
3. Improve safety, hospital circulation and infection control in PRPH
4. Improve PRPH ability to efficiently respond to emergency cases