On closed groups on Facebook and messaging applications, short advertisements are published daily that appear ordinary on the surface: “A general medicine certificate for rent…price according to agreement” or “A pharmacist’s name is required for a pharmacy license.” But behind these posts, which quickly disappear after a few hours, there is an active black market in which medical licenses are sold as commodities, and the names of licensed doctors and pharmacists are used to cover facilities run by unqualified people.
Through our tracking of dozens of these advertisements and closed conversations, we documented oral and paper contracts and agreements that reveal a parallel system within the Jordanian health sector, which feeds on economic need and weak oversight, and threatens trust between the doctor and the patient. The investigation traced how the agreement was concluded, who benefits, and who pays the price, leading to the absence of an official response from the regulatory authorities.
Parallel market – how does it work?
In the shadows, and within closed groups on Facebook and messaging applications, dozens of doctors, pharmacists, and investors are circulating offers to rent medical certificates. The posts appear at first glance to be ordinary advertisements, but in reality they are part of a hidden market in which parties exchange the roles of seller and buyer, where medical certificates are offered for rent in amounts starting from 50 Jordanian dinars only and may reach 300 dinars per month, depending on specialization, location, and demand.
One of the posts monitored by the investigation showed a person declaring his willingness to rent his medical certificate for a small sum, while another wrote, “General medicine certificate for rent…price according to agreement.” Follow-up revealed that these posts were quickly deleted after private communication between the parties, which indicates a high degree of caution and confidentiality. One of the participants in these groups – a former doctor who stopped practicing the profession – says that the agreements are made through trusted intermediaries who know the details of the market. “The intermediary connects the investor with the appropriate doctor, and a monthly fee is agreed upon without any official documentation.”
As for paper contracts, when they are written, they are only fictitious to cover the legal appearance of the clinic or pharmacy, and include a clause stating that the leasing doctor “is not administratively or field responsible for the facility,” which gives both parties a false sense of security. During the investigation’s follow-up to these announcements and conversations, an actual contract form was monitored that included the conditions for using the certificate and the duration of the agreement, in addition to a clause for amicably terminating the contract. The contract shows that the relationship between the two parties is based on mutual benefit: the doctor is looking for a fixed income without a job commitment, and the investor is seeking a quick legal license that allows him to open a medical project without professional qualifications.