Iran health Tourism

Health Tourism or Medical tourism is a broad term that encompasses a wide range of diverse activities, but it’s almost single definition is that traveling to other countries to receive health care is called health tourism.

This treatment can cover a wide range of medical and health services, the most common of which are: dental care, cosmetic surgery, organ transplantation and infertility treatment. Of course, in different countries, this definition can be very different. For example, in some countries, only foreign patients who visit the hospital are considered as health tourists, while others consider all people who enter the country for this purpose as medical tourists.

History

The first recorded example of people migrating for treatment dates back thousands of years. When Greek travelers traveled from the eastern Mediterranean to a small area in the Saronic Gulf called Epidaria. This area was the refuge God of Healing, Asclepius, who was believed to cure people.

Cities with hot springs were one of the primary destinations for medical tourism. Europeans also visited hot springs in the 18th century because they believed that the water of these springs contained minerals that were useful for pain such as gout, liver disorders, bronchitis and …. Similarly, in the following centuries, non-profit clinics were established that provided new opportunities for patients in need of treatment and surgical procedures that were not available at their place of residence.

Benefits

Medical tourism contributes to the development of the economy and living standards of human civilization, and its importance and benefits are as follows:

  • It is very effective in economic development.
  • Creates many health care jobs.
  • Provides more health facilities.
  • Access to the latest technologies in the medical sector
  • Improves the quality of life of all those involved in this process.
  • Participate in global health
  • Increase and growth of global health standards
  • Exchange of knowledge and experience of specialists
  • Generating foreign income for the country and importing currency
  • Social benefits
  • Political benefits
  • Economic benefits

what is the costs?

Tourists who travel from developed countries to developing countries usually receive a significant reduction of 30 to 70 percent in their treatment costs, but there are additional costs such as accommodation, transportation, and foreign airfare.

Food was also considered, but overall these tourists, in addition to using better health care services and with a higher chance of success, can pay less than they should in their home country.

Medical services in Iran

In the Middle East, Iran is known as a reliable and safe destination for health tourists. In 2012, 30,000 people came to Iran to receive medical services, and in 2015, approximately between 150,000 and 200,000 health tourists came to Iran, and this number is expected to reach more than 500,000 per year in 2020.

Compared to its regional competitors such as Turkey, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, Iran receives lower costs for providing quality medical services and is a higher priority for health tourism.

Health tourists who choose Iran as their destination are more than the countries of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Iraq, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Syria, Lebanon, Bahrain and Turkey.