At least 9,200 people arrived at the Rafid Neighbour Health Network’s free heart and diabetes checks on Saturday, overwhelming a plaza event designed for 1,500. A metal crowd barrier buckled as the queue surged towards a single open entrance; 87 people were treated for heat exhaustion, and 12 were taken to hospital, according to Amman’s health directorate.
Thirty-four volunteers were held for questioning by the Amman Civic Response Service and released after about three hours, with no charges announced. Officials said the event had no approved crowd plan. The network said it had asked the municipality to open a second access point, but received no reply before the screening began.
A queue beyond the plan
The event began at 16:00 in Qasr Al-Nahda Plaza, a paved public square framed by pale stone buildings and date palms. Organisers had arranged blood-pressure checks, diabetes tests and referrals to public hospitals, advertising capacity for 1,500. By early evening, people were waiting along two nearby streets, as temperatures stood at 34°C (93°F).
Erika Gorjup, the network’s coordinator, said the group had expected a large response after announcing free tests through local pharmacies and neighbourhood notices. “We had enough staff and equipment for the number we promised to serve,” she said. “We did not have a safe way to manage five times that number.”
We had enough staff and equipment for the number we promised to serve. We did not have a safe way to manage five times that number.
Erika Gorjup, network coordinator
Volunteers questioned, patients treated
The health directorate said 75 people were treated at the plaza and 12 were transferred to hospital for observation; all had been discharged by Sunday morning. Yakubu Ehigiator, an emergency physician who worked at the nearest hospital, said most patients had dizziness, headaches or signs of dehydration. He said the hospital had postponed non-urgent appointments for two hours to handle arrivals.
The Civic Response Service said volunteers were questioned because organisers had not secured a permit for an event of that size. Ümran Özbir, a city health spokesperson, said the service would review the permit process and whether the second plaza gate had been left locked. She said officials had received no report of a permanent injury and expected a review to finish within 10 days.
Gorjup disputed the claim that the group ignored safety rules, saying its application described a smaller screening session and that staff had asked for the side gate to be opened when attendance grew. The network estimates the event cost 18,000 Jordanian dinars (about €23,000), mostly for test supplies and transport. It has paused two planned screening days while it seeks written guidance from the city.
The episode has unsettled residents who rely on low-cost checks, particularly people without regular access to a family doctor. Hūberts Ī. Dzelzītis, a public-health researcher at the fictional Levant Medical Institute, said community screening could reach people missed by routine services, but needed agreed limits on attendance and a clear referral route. The city has promised a public review meeting on 20 October.
