TEHRAN- Foreign patients from 164 countries are visiting Iran to receive medical treatment services, Saeed Karimi, the deputy health minister, has said.

These patients are from different parts of the globe mainly Europe, Asia, as well as South and North America, he added.

The majority of the medical tourists are from Iraq, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Armenia, Pakistan, and Turkey, Karimi noted.

"Infertility" main reason to visit Iran

“Infertility treatment is the most important reason for foreign patients’ referrals to Iran’s health centers. Ophthalmology, orthopedics, cosmetology, pediatric surgery, and heart diseases are the next common reasons for foreign patients to visit Iran”, Tasnim quoted Karimi as saying.

According to the Ministry of Health, some 250 hospitals in 27 provinces of the country have International Patient Department (IPD) permits.

Iran’s medical tourism revenues reached $1 billion during the past Iranian calendar year (ended on March 20), as some 1.2 million medical tourists visited the country. But Iran has the capacity to raise it to $10 million.

Iran’s capacity for medical tourism

In the field of medical tourism, conditions are very good due to the trust that neighboring countries have in the Iranian health sector,” Karimi said.

Even Iranians who live in America and Europe perform their medical procedures in Iran and trust in the country's doctors. At the same time, infrastructure is needed to expand medical tourism, he added.

“The tourist who comes should be provided with suitable accommodation, convenient transportation, and amenities.”

If these infrastructures and conditions are available, Iran will be at a very high level for services and can take good measures in the field of medical tourism, he concluded.

On July 16, Health Minister Bahram Einollahi said, “Gradually, as familiarity with Iran's level of progress in the field of health services increased, the number of medical tourists increased because they trusted the Iranian medical science.”

“We are planning to send health attachés to the countries where the number of visits by medical tourists to Iran is high.”

Einollahi added, “We have negotiated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the appointment of health attachés in the embassies of some countries with whom we cooperate in the fields of medicine, medical equipment, science and technology, and exchange of professors and students.”

“Health attachés are appointed in six countries in the first phase, including South American and African countries. We are also following up on dispatching health attachés in neighboring countries,” IRNA quoted Einollahi as saying.

“The issue of medical tourism is very important. Therefore, countries that have extensive relations with us in the field of health diplomacy will be given the top priority.”

President Ebrahim Raisi has said the Islamic Republic is a suitable destination for medical tourism.

Highlighting the country’s great strides in medical and health sciences, Raisi said patients in many neighboring countries prefer to visit Iran for treatment than travel to Europe.

This is due to the lower cost and high level of expertise in Iran, Raisi said, Press TV reported.

Challenges to overcome

There are some challenges ahead for foreign patients entering the country to receive medical treatment. Karimi has mentioned some of these problems.

A medical tourist should have easy access to the list of the centers with IPD permits, the kind of offered services, and the demanded price range, which is unfortunately not available in the country now.

Also, the hospital should be provided with a system to be able to follow up the medical procedures of foreign patients as they are treated and returned back home.

To address these problems, the Ministry of Health is going to provide a specific package for health tourism and services. The details of the package will be announced soon.

Moreover, the leveling of the medical services provided by the centers with IPD permits is underway.

This way, outgoing patients will receive medical care in centers in border cities, and those needing complicated surgeries will be treated in provincial centers.

MT/MG