His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday inaugurated the Citizens’ Services Department, which covers medical fees for citizens not covered by health insurance, provides assistance to those in need and extends services to military retirees.

The department was established over 1,640 square metres at a total cost of JD2.1 million upon the King’s directives, after he made an incognito visit to the Ministry of Health’s Patients Affairs Department in Shmeisani in 2009 to check on its services.

Extending financial and in-kind aid to those in need, the department helps needy university students by providing them with financial assistance for tuition fees and receives petitions from citizens asking for different types of assistance.

The department is a gift from King Abdullah  to citizens on the occasion of his 50th birthday.

“The department was created to cater to the needs of all Jordanians in need,” said Yousef Issawi, Royal Court’s secretary general and chairman of a Royal committee tasked with overseeing the implementation of the King’s initiatives. The King ordered the creation of the department to provide better services for Jordanians, he told reporters.

“At the centre in Shmeisani [where applications were previously processed], it used to take from one week up to two weeks to complete a petition, but at this department those who are not covered by health insurance and seek coverage of medical fees for treatment can complete their petition in a maximum of 15 minutes,” Issawi said.

The department, which is fully automated, is connected with the Ministries of Health, Social Development, the Lands and Survey Department, and the Royal Medical Services “to check that those who submit a petition are actually in need of assistance,” said Issawi.

The department will also be connected to the Social Security Corporation, the Traffic Department and other public agencies to get the necessary information.

The department, which has been operating experimentally over the past few days, has received about 1,000 citizens per day asking for different kinds of assistance.

Several Jordanians, who were at the facility to submit petitions for assistance, commended the move, agreeing that the manner and quality of services are much better at the new offices.