TEHRAN – The first phase of an enormous healthcare city was officially inaugurated in the city of Isfahan, central Iran, on Monday as the country avidly seeks to surge its global share of the medical tourism market.

Health Minister Hassan Qazizadeh-Hashemi accompanied by several provincial officials cut the ribbon on Isfahan Healthcare City which is comprised of orthopedic, obstetrics and gynecology clinics, as well as medical offices.

Once the complex becomes fully operational, it will create around four thousand direct jobs in the province, according to project managers. The whole project is estimated to cost a total of 19.65 trillion rials (about $260 million) which will be secured by the private sector, YJC reported on Monday.

Ground was broken for the healthcare center in 2012 and it is projected to become fully operational by the next three years.

The first phase covers 84,000 square meters of superstructure costing 4 trillion rials (about $108 million) to be built.

Some 2 trillion rials (about $54 million) has been allocated to the second phase of the complex that will be comprised of a comprehensive radiation hub, a conference hall and vast laboratory center for PET scan, CT scan and MRI amongst others.

A hospital with one thousand beds, measuring 124,000 square meters in area, has been projected for the third phase under a budget of 12 trillion rials (about $315 million).

The final phase will be capped by constructing a 12-story four-star hotel measuring 33,000 square meters in area, to which 1.65 trillion rials (about $44 million) has been allotted.

Isfahan Healthcare City is aimed to become a widely-known international medical complex for offering quality clinical, health, and education services.

Earlier this month, Ali Rabiei, the minister of cooperatives, labor and social welfare said the country has a potential to earn $7 billion in revenues through attracting one million health tourists on a yearly basis.

Relative wallet-friendly services can be considered as the main advantage of medical tourism in Iran, the minister said in an address to a Tehran conference to which business representatives from over 30 courtiers attended.

Moreover, the state-run Tourism Holding Company, affiliated with the Social Security Organization, is to unveil a comprehensive plan, which will be implemented with the participation of 22 hospitals and over 200 physicians, specialists, and surgeons.

The Ministry of Health registered some 105,000 inbound patients over the past Iranian calendar year (March 2016-March 2017), a majority of them came from neighboring countries including Iraq, Azerbaijan, Armenia and the Persian Gulf littoral states.

PHOTO: The picture shows an artist’s rendition of the Isfahan Healthcare City in central Iran, whenever the massive project is fully completed.

AFM/MG