Khaberni - The therapeutic industries and medical supplies sector in the Kingdom enjoys high production capabilities reaching 1.6 billion JD per year, making it a safety valve for the country under all circumstances.
The sector's products manufactured within Jordanian industrial companies include human and veterinary medicines, medical sanitizers, dental supplies, laboratory reagents, medical devices, various multipurpose medical and therapeutic materials, dietary supplements, and more.
According to Fadi Al-Atrash, the sector's representative in the Jordan Chamber of Industry, therapeutic industries and medical supplies are among the most prominent strategic industrial sectors contributing to the national economy, and are characterized by a diversity of expertise intertwined with several other sectors related to healthcare and medical supplies in the Kingdom.
Al-Atrash said that the sector is capital and technology intensive, and has specialized scientific personnel including chemists, biologists, and technicians. It also contributes to supporting national exports due to the high quality and significant contributions of these industries.
He added that the sector, which includes 151 operating establishments throughout the Kingdom, is classified as one of the largest economic activities creating added value. The sector in Jordan is divided into three main sub-sectors: human medicines, veterinary medicines, and medical supplies.
He pointed out that the added value percentage of the total production within the sector amounts to 51%, and contributes nearly 3% of the Gross Domestic Product, while its contribution to the total ongoing production of the manufacturing industries reaches 11%.
He highlighted that the sector is one of the most significant in terms of employing labor and generating job opportunities, as the total number of workers within it reaches about 10,000 employees, 95 percent of whom are local labor, with females constituting 35%, which is among the highest women's participation rates among industrial sectors.
He also indicated that the sector has massive exports and rapid growth in them, which reached 612 million JD during the past year with a growth rate of 15% compared to previous years, while it was 353 million JD from the beginning of the current year until the end of last July, with a 7% growth rate.
According to Al-Atrash, the exports of therapeutic industries and medical supplies reach 80 markets worldwide, most notably: Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Algeria, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States of America, where these countries collectively account for about 71% of its total exports.
He noted that the economic modernization vision included the pharmaceutical industries sector among high-value industries that were focused on within the economic growth pillar, aiming for many ambitious targets for the sector during the next ten years to elevate it to become a regional center for pharmaceutical products in Jordan.
These targets include increasing exports to more than 2.1 billion JD by 2033, raising the added value to about 1.7 billion JD, increasing the number of sector employees to reach 16,000 workers, and attracting investments into the sector of about 1.1 billion JD through 11 sector initiatives.
He referred to the important role played by the Public Food and Drug Administration in supporting and developing the pharmaceutical industries in the Kingdom through ongoing monitoring, introducing modern and contemporary systems and legislation that have contributed to the development of this industry and elevating it to higher levels.
