NATIONS UNIES
ORGANISATION MONDIALE DE LA
SANTE
WORLD H E A L T H O R G A N I Z A T I O N
I I E G I U COMMITTE3 FOR THE JiaSTEIW MEDITERRBNFSUN Sixth Session
TECHNIW DISCUSSIONS
BUREAU R ~ G I O N A L DE LA M ~ D I T E R R A N ~ E ORIENTALE
E v R ~ 6 / ~ e c h . ~ i s c . / 5 25 August 1956
ORIGINAL: ElTGLSSH
W T H EDUCATION I N JORD&N
Submitted bv t h e Ministry of Health. Hashemite Kiudom of Jordan
Where h e a l t h education i s understood a s process r a t h e r than programme, h e a l t h education methods and materials can only be described i n terms of the s p e c i f i c public h e a l t h objectives t h e methods and materials a r e designed t o achieve. I n Jordan, t h e major emphasis of t h e public h e a l t h programme c e n t r e s around problem i n environ- mental s a n i t a t i o n and maternal and c h i l d health. Both t h e gwernment medical and p u b l i c h e a l t h s e r v i c e s a r e d i r e c t e d toward t h e lower income groups of both t h e urban and v i l l a g e population.
Currently, t h e Ministry of Health makes l i t t l e provision f o r t h e a c t i v e
development and promotion of h e a l t h education a c t i v i t i e s a s an i n t e g r a l p a r t of i t s _ h e a l t h programme. The one p r o f e s s i o n a l l y t r a i n e d (MPH) Jordanian h e a l t h educator
i s employed by ICA i n i t s Health Training a d Education p r o j e c t of t h e Technical Service f o r Health & Sanitation. The major objective of t h i s p r o j e c t , which has an h e r i c a n Health Education &visor, i s t o demonstrate the value of e s t a b l i s h i n g a s p e c i a l u n i t of h e a l t h education within the Ministry of Health.
I n t h e a r e a of t r a i n i n g h e a l t h educators, t h e problem i s f i r s t one o f developing an administrative framework within which h e a l t h education a c t i v i t i e s can be e f f e c t - i v e l y developed. FYndfng and t r a i n i n g h e a l t h education personnel i s of secondary concern a t t h i s point.
The promotion of close w r u n g r e l a t i o n s h i p s with other Ministries whose
programmes have h e a l t h mmponents has r e s u l t e d i n a re-examination of t h e contribu- t i o n t h e s e programmes can make t o t h e t o t a l h e a l t h of t h e i n d i v i d u a l a d community.
The r e c e n t l y e s t a b l i s h e d J o i n t School Health Committee of t h e Ministries of Health
and Education and t h e cooperation between t h e Ejctension Service of t h e Ministry of Agriculture and t h e Ministry of Health a r e encouraging developments i n this area,
The governplent c l i n i c s and t h e MCH centres provide opportunities f o r developing h e a l t h education a c t i v i t i e s a t t h e v i l l a g e level. Lack of t r a i n e d personnel, lack of time an3 l a c k of funds a r e gone of t h e d i f f i c u l t i e s faced i n developing them.