$1.6bn healthcare island planned for Bahrain

An artist's impression of Health Island in Bahrain.

Construction will soon begin in Bahrain on the Gulf’s first island devoted to healthcare, a development designed to provide cutting edge medical facilities and services and tap the growing health tourism industry, officials have announced.

The $1.6 billion Health Island will cover 1.25 million square metres and be built on reclaimed land off Muharraq, Bahrain's Gulf News Daily reported on Tuesday.

Spearheaded by the Ithmaar Development Company, the project will seek to attract a significant share of the lucrative health tourism industry, in addition to providing quality care for residents in the region.

Health tourism is growing at a rapid rate as residents from the UK and the US increasingly look abroad for more cost-effective procedures. Historically, the market has been dominated by South East Asian countries like Malaysia, Hong Kong and Thailand.

Facilities will include centres for diagnostics, alternative medicine, nutrition and diabetes, aesthetic surgery, sports medicine, as well as deluxe spas, boutique hotels and luxury residences.

Reclamation will begin shortly and construction is expected to take three years to five years. When complete, half the island will be open to the public with the rest owned by private investors.

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