World's largest wellness village to open in Dubai

Dubai - WorldCare Wellness Village in Phase 2 expansion of Dubai Healthcare City will occupy an area equivalent to roughly the size of 16 football fields.

A wellness village, said to be the world's largest, will be ready for patients in Phase 2 expansion of the Dubai Healthcare City in Al Jadaf in the next four years, officials announced at Arab Health on Monday.
Said to roughly be the size of 16 football fields, the upcoming WorldCare Wellness Village is estimated to be larger in scale and offerings than current wellness properties in Europe and the US.
Patients will be offered packages of two, four and six weeks for prices starting at $1,225 (Dh4,500), and will be given a rigorous checkup designed just for them for over 3-5 days before they start their treatment.
The wellness centre - based on 100,000 square feet of land at the heart of the village - will be able to accommodate 200 patients at any given time. Officials said the company will raise an estimated $15,000 per month from each patient.
The project is currently in the design phase and is expected to be operational in another four years.
"There is a market gap that we are trying to plug," said Nasser Menhall, CEO and co-founder of WorldCare International. He said that their studies showed that 60 per cent of the patients expected to visit the village were from the GCC region, 30 per cent from Eastern Europe, and 10 per cent from the rest of the world.
Rehabilitation, counselling, sports medicine and elderly care, treatment for sleep apnoea, obesity, hypertension, diabetes and other physical conditions are among the health services that will be offered at the centre.
The centre will provide diagnosis and treatment plans built around patient education and lifestyle change. More than 100 healthcare and allied professionals are expected to work at the centre.
The Wellness Village, occupying 810,000 square feet of built up area on a 900,000 square feet plot, is also conceptualised to include customised living spaces such as residential villas and apartments, as well as rental units to support long-term stay for both for local and foreign patients.
The eco-friendly living spaces will be designed to serve wellness and rehabilitation needs through features such as therapy zero-gravity pools, personalised spas, and rigorous exercise and diet facilities.
Bader Saeed Hareb, CEO, Investment Sector, Dubai Healthcare City, said: "As projects take shape, there will be a significant impact on the overall health of our communities, giving impetus to more opportunities to develop unique wellness concepts."
"This is a masterplan to create a wellness centre in the region," he added.
asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com