Medical tourism is not limited to treatment of diseases, but should be seen in terms of disease prevention as well, said the CEO of International Healthcare Association, Seyed Hassan Tabatabaee Nejad, adding that based on the latest statistics, Iran’s income from medical tourism is approximately $500 million, which has seen a considerable rise compared to the revenue earned from medicine and the medical equipment market, ISNA quoted him saying.
Pointing that medical tourism is one of the most significant and income producing industries, he noted that the industry has not yet flourished in Iran, or reached its potential.
The real potential of medical tourism has been neglected due to the overlapping activities of organizations – which are at times in conflict with the field – while there is a huge capacity in the country in terms of expertise, knowledge, human resource, and characteristics particular to the region.
Natural resources such as hot springs, mineral water spas, and untouched mountainous areas and forests make Iran a suitable destination for medical tourism and wellness.
“To improve our position in the market, we need to offer more convincing competitive packages to tourists,” he emphasized.
Tabatabaee Nejad pointed to Iran’s share of the total global income from medical tourism, saying progress has been made, but “we are a long way off from fully utilizing our potentials,” and from being in the same league as countries like Turkey, Malaysia, and Singapore that have managed to see a sizable growth in medical tourism.
