TEHRAN –—Iraqi travelers can find lower-priced medical services in the western Iranian province of Kermanshah, the head of the Kermanshah Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture has said.

Medical tourists from Iraq can access high-quality medical services in Kermanshah at a much lower price than in the neighboring countries such as UAE and Turkey, Keyvan Kashefi said on Wednesday.

He made the remarks during a meeting with a delegation of health tourism activists of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region in Kermanshah.

Iraqi nationals have visited Kermanshah for years to receive medical care, but their visits have mostly been unorganized and individual, the official added.

For the past two or three years, Kermanshah officials have been organizing health tourism and encouraging hospitals in the province to provide special areas for Iraqi tourists, he explained.

Kermanshah is currently equipped to accept health tourists and provide them with services in all different fields of medicine and treatment centers, he noted.

It is possible to arrange for Iraqi health tourists to enter Kermanshah through VIP routes on the ground without the least delay, he mentioned.

It is also planned to establish flights from Kermanshah to Sulaymaniyah in the long run, which would facilitate the arrival of medical tourists as well, he added.

Kermanshah has many impressive historical sites, such as Taq-e Bostan and Bisotun, to name a few.

Kermanshah was founded in the 4th century CE by Bahram IV of the Sassanid dynasty. After the Arab conquest in 640, the city was named Qirmasin (Qirmashin). Under the Seljuk rule in the 11th century, it was the most important city in Kordestan. The Safavids (ruled 1501-1736) fortified the city, and the Qajars repelled an attack by the Turks during the reign of Fath Ali Shah (1797-1834). During World War I, the city was occupied by the Turkish army in 1915 and evacuated in 1917. The construction of a road in the 1950s, crossing the old Khorasan route, contributed significantly to the importance of the city.

Iran is known in the world as an affordable destination for health tourism, and the government is making a great effort to attract more medical tourists in the years to come.

Credible surgeons and physicians, cutting-edge medical technologies, high-tech medicine, diverse specializations, super affordable procedures, and finally hospitable people constitute Iran’s trump cards to be a major hub for medical tourism.

Experts believe that medical tourism in the Islamic Republic is a win-win opportunity both for the country and foreign patients, as they are offered affordable yet quality treatment services and the country gains considerable foreign currency.

Iranian hospitals offer a wide variety of medical services such as eye surgeries and services, cardiovascular surgeries especially pediatric heart surgery, bone marrow transplantation, gynecologic and obstetric surgery, oncologic services, cerebrospinal surgery, orthopedic surgery (total knee & total hip replacement, etc.), and urologic surgery, and so many other services.

The Islamic Republic has set goals to exceed its yearly medical travelers to around two million in [calendar year] 1404 (March 2025-March 2026).

ABU/AM