TEHRAN – Some 28 medical tourism projects are currently underway across Iran, an official with the tourism ministry has said. 

A budget of 40 billion rials ($80 million) has been channeled into the projects, Zahra Jahani explained on Wednesday. 

The projects are expected to generate 1,500 job opportunities upon their completion, the official 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