U.S. signs deal with Jordan to fund family health services

AMMAN, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The United States signed an agreement with Jordan on Thursday to fund the Jordanian family health services directly for the first time through U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) Partnership for Health and family Planning Program.

The signing ceremony was held at the Ministry of Health and attended by Ghazi Mansour Al-Zabin, Jordan's minister of health, and USAID Acting Mission Director Ralph Koehring.

Representing an investment of approximately 95 million U.S. dollars for high quality family planning and immunization services, the program is a milestone achievement between USAID and the Jordanian government, the USAID said in a statement.

"USAID and the Ministry of Health enjoy a longstanding partnership to improve essential service delivery for the people of Jordan. We look forward to working together on this program and building a healthy, productive, and self-reliant future for Jordan," said Koehring.

The Partnership for Health and family Planning Program will increase demand for and improve the quality of family health services. It will introduce the pneumonia vaccine into Jordan's Expanded Program on Immunization.