unit 2: Health in Jordan: a report

Unit 2/ page 18

Health in Jordan: A report

    Speaking    

1 Work in small groups. Health conditions in Jordan are among the best in the Middle East. Why do you think this is the case? Give examples.

 I think that health conditions in Jordan are among the best in the Middle East because of the commitment to providing healthcare for all Jordanians. The advances in relevant areas have improved health conditions. Also, Jordan has the best doctors and the most advanced facilities.

Reading 

     Keywords

Word	English meaning
commitment	a promise to do something or to behave in a particular way
decline	to decrease in quantity or importance
healthcare	the prevention or treatment of illness by doctors, dentists, psychologists,
life expectancy	the length of time that a person or animal is expected to live
mortality	death, especially on a large scale
reputation	the common opinion that people have about someone or something
stroke	an illness when a blood tube in your brain is blocked and your brain will be unable to function

 

  2  Read the report. Check your answers to exercise 1. Match the sub-headings 1–3 with the sections A–C in the report.

           1  Life expectancy   (C)      2 Hospitals (B)       3 Healthcare centres (A)   

Health in Jordan: A report Introduction    Health conditions in Jordan are among the best in the Middle East. This is largely due to the country's commitment to making healthcare for all a top priority. Advances in education, economic conditions, sanitation, clean water, diet and housing have made our community healthier. A: Healthcare centres                                                  As a result of careful planning, the number of healthcare services has been increasing rapidly over the past years. More than 800 different kinds of healthcare centres have been built, as well as 188 dental clinics. In 2012 CE, 98 per cent of Jordanian children were fully immunised, thanks to immunisation teams that had been working towards this goal for several years. Although there were remote areas of the country where people had been without consistent access to electricity and safe water, almost 99 per cent of the country’s population now has access. B: Hospitals Although the country has been focusing mainly on improving its primary healthcare facilities, it has not neglected its advanced medical facilities. The reputation of Jordanian doctors has spread in the region, and now many more patients come to Jordan for open heart surgery. In Jordan, the open heart surgery programme started in 1970 CE in Amman. C: Life Expectancy The life expectancy figures show that Jordan's healthcare system is successful. In 1965 CE, the average Jordanian's life expectancy was age 50. In 2012 CE, this average life expectancy had risen to 73.5. According to UNICEF statistics, between 1981 CE and 1991 CE, Jordan's infant mortality rates declined more rapidly than anywhere else in the world – from 70 deaths per 1,000 births in 1981 CE to only 32 deaths per 1,000 births in 2014 CE.   Conclusion The low infant mortality rate, as well as the excellent healthcare system, have been contributing factors to Jordan's healthy population growth, which will result in a strong work force with economic benefits for the whole country.

 

3 What do the words in bold from the report mean? Work in pairs.    

sanitation: the systems which supply water and deal with human waste

dental: relating to teeth

immunisation: giving a substance to a person (often by needle) to prevent them from getting a particular disease

infant mortality: deaths amongst babies or very young children

work force: the people who are able to work

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  Health in Jordan: A report

- Jordan has an excellent reputation in the region with regard to: 

 health conditions

-The underlined pronoun 'This' refers to:

the idea that health conditions in Jordan are among the best in the Middle East

-The reason for being among the best in health conditions is:

 the country's commitment to making healthcare a top priority

The result of the country's commitment to making healthcare for all a top priority:

Health conditions in Jordan are among the best in the Middle East.

-The development in many sectors has contributed to making our country healthier. These sectors are:

•  education
•  economic conditions
•  sanitation
•  clean water
•  diet
• housing

-The underlined word sanitation means:

 the systems which supply water and deal with human waste

 

- The number of healthcare services has rapidly increased because of:

 careful planning.

- The result of the careful planning is:

the number of healthcare services has been increasing rapidly over the past years

-Health services provided by the country are:

• healthcare centres (more than 800)
• dental clinics. (188)
• immunisation (98% of children are fully immunised)
• access to to electricity and safe water (99% of the population has access to electricity and clean water)  

  - The underlined pronoun 'this' refers to:

     immunisation of 98 per cent of Jordanian children

  - The underlined relative pronoun where refers to:

    remote areas.

-People in remote areas suffered from two things:

   a. lack of electricity         b. lack of safe water

 

    -The country has worked to improve both its primary health facilities and its advanced medical facilities.

   - The two types of facilities that Jordan focuses on improving are:

           a. primary healthcare facilities 

        b. advanced medical facilities

 - The reason why patients from the region choose to come to Jordan for open heart surgery is:

      the reputation of Jordanian 

 - The result of the good reputation of Jordanian doctors is:

    many more patients come to Jordan for open heart surgery

  -The open heart surgery programme started in 1970 CE in Amman.

  -The underlined pronoun (its x2) refers to:  Jordan's

 -The underlined pronoun 'it' refers to:  Jordan

 - the underlined word 'reputation' means:

  the common opinion that people have about someone or something.

The underlined phrasal verb "focusing on" means:

 directing your attention or effort at something specific

    -The indicator of the success of Jordan's healthcare system is:

     the life expectancy figures

  - The result of the success of the healthcare system can appear in two aspects:

       1. the life expectancy figures raised up.

       2. the infant mortality rates decreased.

 - The factors leading to healthy population growth are:

        1. the low infant mortality rate

       2. the excellent healthcare system 

- The consequence/result/outcome of healthy population growth is:

   a strong workforce with economic benefits for the country.

- The underlined pronoun 'which' refers to:

   Jordan's healthy population growth

 

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