TEHRAN – Shiraz, one of Iran’s main cultural and tourism destinations, has become a leading center for regional medical tourism, local and national officials said.

The city offers advanced healthcare facilities, specialist medical teams, and integrated medical tourism services that attract visitors from neighboring countries as well as across Iran, according to Mohsen Ziaei, who serves as the tourism chief of Fars province.

Authorities have launched a centralized health tourism system in Shiraz, the provincial capital, to provide international patients with access to licensed hospitals, travel service offices, and professional tour guides. The platform also allows patients to file complaints about medical or travel services, which will be handled through a legal oversight mechanism, Ziaei said.

“This system will play a vital role in ensuring transparency and efficiency in the medical tourism industry,” Ziaei told reporters, adding that strict monitoring would help guarantee high standards of care.

 Oman has shown interest in expanding cooperation with Shiraz in health tourism, with Omani officials emphasizing the importance of building closer bilateral ties to encourage patients to seek treatment in the Iranian city. The move reflects growing recognition of Shiraz’s medical capabilities among regional countries.

The expansion in Shiraz aligns with Iran’s broader strategy to boost health tourism nationwide. Deputy Tourism Minister Anoushirvan Mohseni Bandpei said the government has launched an integrated health tourism system in Tehran, Khorasan Razavi, and Fars provinces, with plans to expand to the rest of the country.

The national system is being developed in coordination with the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Tourism, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, accredited hospitals with International Patient Departments, licensed travel agencies, and medical professionals. Officials say it is designed to streamline services, improve transparency, and manage the entire process of medical travel.

Authorities say its progress could serve as a model for other Iranian regions seeking to expand their role in the Middle East’s growing health tourism sector.

€6 billion visioned for medical tourism revenues

Last September, Mohammad-Reza Vaez-Mahdavi, Chairman of Iran’s Scientific Association of Health Economy, announced that the Islamic Republic has the potential to generate €6 billion annually from medical tourism with proper planning. He also highlighted visions to become a healthcare hub for West Asia in the coming years, which includes plans to export €1 billion worth of vaccines and medical equipment annually.

Available data suggests that Iran's current annual exports of medicine amount to €200 million. According to a report released by the Iranian Health Ministry in August 2023, Iran received about one million medical tourists annually, with foreign patients seeking treatments across various specialties. “Every year, one million foreign patients are treated in Iran,” the report stated, underlining the country’s growing influence in the global health sector.

Neighboring countries, such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Oman, Bahrain, Armenia, and Tajikistan constitute Iran’s main source of medical tourism.

AM