THE STATUS OF INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGY IN JORDAN

16 THE STATUS OF INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGY IN JORDAN By: Mishleen Awabdeh

Jordan has achieved various accomplishments in the medical field over the past fourty years despite the harsh times it has been through. (1) In 2006, it was said to have one of the most modern health care infrastructures in the Middle East by the WHO. (2) The Ministry of Health in Jordan aims to improve the health care system on all levels, that’s why it ensures that the medical sector is always up-to-date with the technological advancements, especially in the field of radiology.

Accordingly, many hospitals have expanded the radiology departments to include special units for modern devices of interventional radiology. Al Khalidi Hospital and Medical Center being one of them offers a full range of interventional techniques as ultrasound and CT guided biopsies and drainages, peripheral angioplasties, tumor ablation with radiofrequency, a wide range of embolization including chemo-embolization to treat tumors and fibroid embolization, and endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms and arteriovenous malformation just to name a few. (3) Jordan Hospital has its own interventional radiology services as well; including biliary dilation, stenting and drainage, arteriography and venography, abscess drainage and nephrostomy. (4)

Besides making sure that the hospitals are fully equipped with the latest machinery, Jordan has participated in a regional workshop in Dubai. Its main purpose was to develop a regional program on radiation protection in the interventional radiology field by training health professionals from Jordan and 6 other countries. (7)

Not only that, but Jordan was home for multiple other workshops. One of them took place in June this year about Computed Tomography (CT). It focused mainly on the needs of medical personnel concerned with medical imaging professionals and improving the quality of radiographic techniques. (6)

Another workshop was hosted by King Abdullah University Hospital in April over a period of four days. It was conducted by the International Scientific Exchange Program (ISEP) of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) in collaboration with the International Organization of Medical Physics (IOMP).