from the s onwards population issues also started to play an increasing role in the country s development plans and projects alqutob in jordan s cabinet approved the national birth spacing program and in government agencies were requested to implement the national population strategy which included among other areas maternal and child health family planning and birth spacing national population commission in the fiveyear development plan for the staffing of primary healthcare centres with nurses and midwives was one of the key strategies for raising the quality of health care directly benefiting maternal as well as child health