Oman's health ministry has announced plans to build the sultanate's first medical city over a sprawling 5-million-sq-m area in the Barka region.

The project, being developed at a cost of RO479 million ($1.24 billion), is yet another initiative under the country’s Tanfeedh programme for economic expansion, which aims to wean the country away from primarily oil-and-gas-based sources of income, reported Times of Oman.

The country's ambitious healthcare project, the Medical City is being built in four phases, stated the report.  
The first two phases will focus on commercial operations, private medical facilities, and residential projects, while the other phases will be allocated for government use, it added.