China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) has been chosen to build a “medical city” in the Dhi Qar Governorate in southern Iraq.
Iraqi Business News reports that the decision was made by the Council of Ministers, chaired by prime minister Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani.
The council was considering a recommendation by the Dhi Qar Reconstruction Fund Committee.
Last year, the Iraqi government outlined plans to build a series of medical cities as part of post-war plans to improve the country’s health services.
Iraq already has the Baghdad Medical City, founded in 1973 and made up of a number of teaching hospitals.
Hadi Al-Ghazi, the governor of Dhi Qar, announced the plan in April 2022. He said at the time that the aim was to “solve the health services crisis in all the administrative units in Dhi Qar within three years, as well as completing of the medical city in three phases”.
He added: “The medical city project is one of the largest strategic projects implemented in the province, and it is hoped that it will contribute to the advancement of the health sector, which has suffered from severe confusion in the past decades.”
CSCEC will build the city on a turnkey basis. Officials said the plans were likely to be executed “in partnership with the private sector” in order to reduce the burden on the public sector.
• Subscribe here to get stories about construction around the world in your inbox three times a week
