His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday issued directives to expand and upgrade the Ghor Al Safi Hospital and implement an agricultural project in the area to alleviate poverty and unemployment in the Southern Ghor.
Ghor Al Safi is classified as one of 20 poverty pockets in the country due to its poverty level, which exceeds 34.3 per cent; most of the area's 40,000 inhabitants depend on agriculture to make a living.
King Abdullah today visited the 82-bed Ghor Al Safi Hospital, which serves some 100,000 people in the area.
During a meeting with community leaders and representatives from Ghor Al Safi and Southern Ghor, the King issued directives for the establishment of a separate paediatric ward as the current one is part of the maternity ward.
The King also donated JD250,000 to build a ward for premature babies as well as an emergency and first aid unit.
“I am aware of poverty and unemployment here and the health and education problems, but also I need to hear from you what your demands and needs are,” King Abdullah told the community leaders.
The King said he would return to the area in six months “to inaugurate the hospital after it is upgraded and to follow up on the progress of the projects here.”
Ghor Al Safi Hospital Director Abdullah Madadhah told reporters the new wards would reduce the overcrowding.
“We need such expansion because the population growth ratio in Ghor Al Safi is high,” he said, citing that the birth rate is 4.7 per cent locally compared to 3.2 per cent in the country.
King Abdullah also ordered the implementation of an agricultural project to create job opportunities and enhance the living standards in the area.
In addition, he issued directives to carry out maintenance and expansion on the area's schools, which local representatives cited as a need and concern. They also called for air conditioners in the schools, as temperatures in the area — which is 450 metres below sea level — are very high.
During the King's visit, area residents also requested the establishment of local markets where they can sell agricultural products.
The Jordan Times