Millions of dinars will be invested in health centres and hospitals across Bahrain over the next 10 years, it was revealed yesterday (December 29).

The Health Ministry highlighted a number of upcoming projects and proposals in its year-end report, including a BD7-million ($18.4 million) diabetes care centre in Muharraq and BD11-million ($29.2 million) dialysis centre in Riffa.

“Bahrain is keen to develop its health services to take care of the needs of citizens and residents by improving access to primary and secondary healthcare,” said Health Minister Sadiq Al Shehabi.

“We have developed a strong healthcare infrastructure despite facing challenges such as high rates of chronic diseases, high medical costs and the cost of medications and an increase in the elderly population.”

A BD13.9-million ($36.9 million) long-term care facility for patients in Muharraq and a maternity hospital project were also in the offing, the minister said, as well as five new health centres to be set up in Qalali, Hamad Town, the Northern City, Askar and Riffa as part of the proposed plan until 2023.

Over the past year, BD28 million ($74.3 million) had been spent on the overseas treatment of Bahrainis - up from an initial estimate of BD6.75 million ($17.6 million) - and Salmaniya Medical Complex had dealt with a daily average of between 1,000 and 1,500 walk-in patients, the minister said.

The healthcare budget allocated by the government for 2014 was BD221 million ($586 million) including BD13 million ($34.5 million) for various projects, Al Shehabi added.-TradeArabia News Service