TEHRAN – Iran’s Kerman province and Muscat have agreed to draw a roadmap for widening ties in the field of health and medical tourism.

Kerman University of Medical Sciences plans to ink a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Omani counterparts to expand cooperation in the medical tourism sector in the near future, the president of the university said on Wednesday.  

Moreover, Kerman University hopes to attract more Omani medical students through the MOU, Mehdi Ahmadinejad stated.

Currently, this university has 189 foreign students studying in the medical departments, mostly in medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, and nursing, he added.

According to available data, Iran hosts an average of one million medical tourists each year. “About one million medical tourists, mainly from the neighboring countries, arrive in Iran annually,” Mohammadreza Tarjoman, who presides over the Health Ministry’s tourism office, said last April.

“The majority of inbound medical passengers come from the neighboring countries, including Iraq and Afghanistan,” the official said. Talking about hospitals and clinics, he said a selection of 200 Iranian medical centers have permission to accept foreign patients.

Experts believe 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. Amongst Iran’s trump cards are the presence of credible surgeons and physicians, cutting-edge medical technologies, high-tech medicine and diverse specializations, super affordable procedures, and finally its hospitable people.

Iran seeks to exceed its yearly medical travelers to around two million in [calendar year] 1404 (March 2025-March 2026).

ABU/AM