The Thai cabinet approved a project to build an international medical hub in Phuket today (Tuesday), at an estimated cost of about five billion baht. When complete, the project is expected to generate about 62 billion baht in annual revenue through medical tourism, according to Traisuree Traisoranakul, deputy government spokesperson.

The Andaman International Medical Hub will serve as a training centre, producing about 110 doctors, nurses, pharmacists, medical technicians and other medical professionals.

The project will include a facility for the research and development of health services and will serve as a hospital, which will be capable of treating basic to complicated medical conditions and will increase confidence among locals and tourists alike that they will have access to reliable and quality medical care, said the deputy spokesperson.

The hospital will have 300 beds and will be able to handle no fewer than 12,500 complicated cases and over 300,000 out-patients a year.

It will also be equipped with the first advanced dental facility in the southern region, she added.

The project is expected to help Thailand to become a medical hub and medical tourism centre for the region, in line with the government’s 20-year national strategy.

The approximately 5 billion baht funding for the project will be spread over five years, with 1.29 billion baht allocated next year, 1.66 billion baht for the second year, 1.49 billion baht, 498 million baht and 193 million baht for the third, fourth and fifth years respectively.