TEHRAN – The Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) holds a capacity to help flourish medical tourism in the country, Mohammad Javad Shariati, Ambassador of Iran to the Democratic Republic of Congo, has said.

Establishing facilities, visas, and sending medical tourists from Congo to Iran can pave the way for the development of health tourism, he emphasized.

He stressed the importance of introducing Iran's health and medical capacities and providing the necessary preparations for the self-governing of the IRCS center in the Congo, IRNA reported.

On Sunday, the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations appreciated the Iranian Red Crescent Society for its humanitarian service.

Iran is one of the major destinations for health tourism in the region, and patients with 55 different nationalities. Tahin Tamangoda, the director of the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, during her visit to Tehran, emphasized her support for the IRCS humanitarian programs, according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society.

IRCS services worldwide

At present, the Iranian Red Crescent Society provides medical services to people in 13 Asian, African, and Latin American countries.

Currently, some 14 medical facilities are offering humanitarian, relief, and health services to the deprived people in 13 countries, including Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, the United Arab Emirates, Bolivia, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Congo, Kenya, Lebanon, Mali, Niger, and Ecuador.

The IRCS polyclinic center includes various departments such as laboratory, pharmacy, radiology and physiotherapy, and general practitioners along with obstetricians, gynecologists, internal medicine, pediatrics, ophthalmologists, and dentists.

One of the most important points in establishing medical centers abroad is that all of these centers are self-governing and earn their income by providing services to patients in the mentioned countries,” Karim Hemmati, IRCS head, noted on January 13.

Iran’s developing health tourism industry

The developing health tourism industry is one of the most important fields of Iran’s travel sector, which is trying to prove its capabilities and capacities in attracting medical and health tourists to the country.

Many domestic experts believe that medical tourism in Iran 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.

Iran is one of the major destinations for health tourism in the region, and patients with 55 different nationalities, mostly from neighboring countries including Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan are seeking to use Iran’s services and facilities in this field.

Iranian hospitals admitted nearly 70,000 foreign patients over the Iranian calendar year 1397 (March 2018 – March 2019) and it made an economic contribution of around $1.2 billion to the country, according to the medical tourism department at the Ministry of Health.

In April 2018, the rotating presidency of the International Health Tourism Conference of Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) was handed to the Islamic Republic for a three-year term.

Mohammad Jahangiri who presides over a national center for developing health tourism said in May 2018 that Iran can annually earn $7 billion in medical and health tourism, though the sector now brings in only one-seventh or even lesser of the sum.

The Islamic Republic has set its goals to exceed its yearly medical travelers to around 2 million in the Iranian calendar year 1404.

FB/MG