Qatar will soon issue tenders to the private sector for the construction of five new hospitals as the country prepares to roll out the next phase of the National Health Insurance Scheme (Seha) covering expatriates, said a report.

These hospitals will be built and operated by the major private players, reported The Peninsula, citing the Minister of Public Health Abdullah bin Khalid Al Qahtani.

Management of some healthcare facilities will be outsourced to the private sector, he stated.

The ministry plans to come out with two models for the private sector, said Al Qahtani. "In one, they will manage the existing facilities and in the other they will build and operate (the facilities),” he stated.

Al Qahtani said this year will witness the opening of three more hospitals. A new workers-only health centre in Mesaimeer is presently getting its final touches, he added.

The three hospitals will be located in the Industrial Area, Mesaieed Industrial City and Ras Laffan, the report said.