His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday laid the foundation stone for the approximately $200 million King Hussein Institute for Biotechnology and Cancer (KHIBC).
The cancer care and research facility seeks to provide state-of-the-art medical services for cancer patients and bolster cancer-focused biotechnology studies.
Her Majesty Queen Rania was present at the ceremony, which took place at the site of the facility in the town of Naour, some 17 kilometres southwest of Amman.
The institute will be constructed over 680 dunums, to include a hospital, clinics and specialised scientific laboratories for research on cancer and biotechnology supplied with advanced equipment and devices, KHIBC Director General Samir Khleif said at the ceremony on Monday.
Khleif said the facility will provide all kinds of services for cancer patients at the hands of highly qualified specialists.
The centre will also include a house for elderly cancer patients and entertainment facilities which meet the needs of patients of all ages, he said.
Other facilities include a conference hall, a training section and hotels for children and adults to host family members of patients who accompany their relatives on their treatment journey, in addition to playgrounds.
The KHIBC is expected to attract patients from the region, the officials in charge of the institute said.
The project will be completely financed through donations and contributions from international institutions concerned with scientific research on cancer, according to Khleif.
In his address at the ceremony, Faisal Fayez, chairman of board of trustees of King Abdullah Fund for Development which oversees the project, noted the initiative to create the centre was coordinated with the US National Cancer Institute.
"The centre seeks to... turn the Kingdom into an advanced therapeutic, scientific and educational hub," Fayez said.
The institute will serve as a nonprofit organisation that will be run by a board of trustees who have already been selected “in accordance with clear and transparent criteria”, Fayez emphasised.
The KHIBC will help attract Jordanian doctors and scientists working abroad and create hundreds of jobs, the director said.
Khleif added that the centre's core staff are already cooperating with several international peers to draw up working strategies, noting that the institute has offered grants for Jordanian PhD holders to receive training in renowned cancer research centres in the US.
Stressing the importance of the KHIBC in placing Jordan on the world map of advanced cancer and biotechnology research, visiting US Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Tevi Troy said: "The facility serves as a beacon for people from all over who suffer from cancer."
"Building on His Majesty's and our shared vision of public-private partnerships, we seek to improve health and well-being at three key levels: the individual level, the private sector/nonprofit level like the cancer institute, and the public sector level," the US official added.
The Jordan Times