Turkmenistan has opened a new four-storey, 400-bed treatment complex at the Arçman sanatorium in Ahal province, expanding the country’s capacity for sanatorium-based treatment and rehabilitation.
Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty and National Leader of the Turkmen people, attended the opening ceremony on Friday. The facility is equipped with modern medical technology and includes multidisciplinary treatment departments, hydrotherapy facilities and specialised rooms for mineral-water procedures.
The opening marks a major stage in the modernisation of Arçman, one of Turkmenistan’s established health resorts, known for its mineral water and its use in therapeutic and preventive treatment programmes.
According to the official announcement published by Turkmenistan’s state news portal Altyn Asyr on 10 October, the new building is designed to accommodate visitors of different ages, including families. Its departments have been equipped with medical equipment from international manufacturers.
A central feature is the hydrotherapy department, which can accommodate 100 patients simultaneously for mineral baths. The facility also includes specialised rooms for balneological procedures, which use mineral water in therapeutic applications.
The complex houses a herbal-tea bar offering infusions prepared from local medicinal plants. The official report links this initiative to Turkmenistan’s traditional use of medicinal flora, including plants described in the multivolume work Medicinal Plants of Turkmenistan by Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.
The modernisation programme has also included the complete renovation of the building used for dispensing drinking mineral water. According to the official account, Arçman’s mineral water is used in preventive and therapeutic programmes for gastrointestinal, biliary-tract and skin conditions.
The project forms part of a wider programme to upgrade the sanatorium’s infrastructure. In August, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov visited Arçman to review the final stages of construction and the modernisation of existing facilities.
The new complex was authorised under a presidential resolution issued in October 2023, which allowed the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry to conclude a design and construction contract with the Turkmen company Nahal. The project covered the construction and equipment of the additional 400-bed treatment complex, landscaping and the reconstruction of existing buildings designated A and B. The facility was scheduled for completion in October 2026.
Arçman’s development builds on earlier investments at the resort. In 2009, a 400-bed building was constructed, a drinking-water supply line was laid from a source seven kilometres away, and landscaping and other improvements were undertaken. A health trail was also established on the grounds, allowing visitors to combine their stay with walking and physical activity.
The latest expansion brings together accommodation, specialised treatment and wellness facilities within the sanatorium. Its practical contribution will depend on the range of services available to patients, the operation of its medical departments and the integration of treatment programmes with the wider healthcare system.
The opening took place one day before the Day of Healthcare and Medical Industry Workers, observed in Turkmenistan on 10 October. It also preceded the commissioning of three specialised medical centres in Ashgabat on 10 October, reflecting parallel investment in clinical medicine in the capital and sanatorium-based treatment in the regions.
The Arçman project underscores the continuing role assigned to health resorts in Turkmenistan’s healthcare development. Alongside the expansion of hospital and specialist services, the government is investing in facilities that combine medical procedures, mineral-water treatment and rehabilitation. /// nCa, 11 October 2026