The project has been extended until October 31, 2023 and received $200 million in additional financing, including $58.90 from the GCFF.

This emergency loan program was established to maintain the delivery of primary and secondary health services to poor, uninsured Jordanians and Syrian refugees. The program is initially targeted at helping approximately 2.4 million people (2.1 Jordanians and 331,000 Syrian refugees), though the number of refugees covered may increase. The access of this population to critical health care is at risk, as the influx of large numbers of Syrian refugees has put severe strains on the delivery of basic health services. There is a shortage of health workers, and waiting times have increased.

The $150 million loan is being co-financed in parallel by the Islamic Development Bank ($100 million) and World Bank ($50 million). Project funds support care for the target population at primary health care centers across the country (including such services as maternal and child health care; malnutrition prevention and treatment; integrated management of childhood illness; and management and treatment of communicable and non- communicable diseases), and both outpatient and inpatient services at the 33 hospitals of the Ministry of Health (MOH). The project follows a Results-Based Financing model, disbursing funds against independently verified results. In addition to maintaining current services, the project is also providing technical assistance and capacity building to help improve health sector efficiency. As part of that component, a roadmap will be developed outlining a path to improving the medium- to long-term efficiency of the services delivered. With its short-term and long-term focus, the project bridges the divide between humanitarian and development aid.

The need for this loan program was made all the more urgent by the reemergence of communicable diseases such as tuberculosis and measles, affecting both Syrian refugees and their host Jordanian communities.

The project also focuses closely on identifying and addressing gender barriers to quality health care. This component will support MOH efforts to develop protocols, guidance, and communication on gender-based violence and analyzing how to remove barriers, such as transport and cost, to the delivery of full services to both women and men.