MNA � Iran is in talks with China for financing the construction of a hospital in the suburb of northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad, according to Minister of Health Saeed Namaki.

Speaking to Razavi Khorasan newspaper on Saturday, Minister of Health Saeed Namaki said the ministry is planning to construct a 500-bed hospital in Mashhad. He added that one way to fund the project is to use Chinese finance.

�We have already used Chinese financing in building hospitals with over 500 beds across the country. We have a similar project in Mashhad, but we haven�t yet reached an agreement [with the Chinese side]. If we reach an agreement in our talks, we will disclose the details to the public,� he said.

�We are currently in talks with the Chinese side and private companies about ways to use their help in the form of finance for the development of our health infrastructures,� he added.

Asked about the progress of talks with the Chinese side, Namaki said �we have made a lot of progress. We have been in talks for [funding projects in] Mashhad, Shiraz, Tabriz and two other cities, but we haven�t reached a conclusive result yet.�

He stressed that the results would be publicly announced once the two sides reached an agreement in talks.

MNA