TEHRAN – The secretary general of the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) and officials from the Omani ministries of foreign affairs and health and the municipality of Muscat discussed ways to develop joint projects in medical, humanitarian, and health tourism sectors in a meeting in Muscat on Tuesday.

Yaghoub Soleimani, the IRCS secretary general, was accompanied by Ali Najafi, Tehran’s ambassador to Oman, the IRCS website reported.

They also emphasized the need to complete the construction of an IRCS hospital in Oman.

Based on the previous agreements, both sides will cooperate to implement the hospital project as soon as possible.

Capacities for medical tourism

In September, Saeed Karimi, the deputy health minister, said, “Foreign patients from 164 countries are visiting Iran to receive medical treatment services.”

“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 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.

Medical tourism office in Oman

In November, a southern Iranian university opened an office in Oman seeking to draw more medical tourists from the Sultanate.

“Shiraz University of Medical Sciences has established an office in Oman to increase the attraction of medical tourists,” one of the university officials said.

Mehrdad Sharifi made the remarks at a conference dedicated to medical tourism, adding that medical tourism is an essential need in the field of health and treatment.

“Reaching that goal requires communication and training, standardization and monitoring of the good implementation of processes.”

Experts say Iran’s medical tourism 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 branded globally as an affordable destination for health and medical tourism. Credible surgeons and physicians, cutting-edge medical technologies, high-tech medicine and diverse specializations, affordable procedures, and finally, its hospitable people, are considered Iran’s trump card when it comes to medical tourism.

MT/ MG