Iran has experienced a 30% increase in the number of health tourists entering the country, (compared with last year). “Health tourism has a number of advantages, one of which is that it operates based almost exclusively on a ‘home-grown’, local workforce, meaning there is no need to import physicians from other countries,” said Mohammad Panahi, Secretary of the strategic committee on Health tourism in the Iran Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism Organization (ICHHTO), adding that Turkey has recently urged Iran to provide them with doctors. “Currency exchange rates, also put the country in a very advantageous position providing for cheap medical operations,” he added. Iran has made good progress in keeping with its 2025 Vision, making it a leader in the region in health tourism. It has also experienced a favorable growth in general tourism, he said. Non-official statistics suggest a considerable growth of more than 30% in health tourism. “Improvements to our health infrastructure, could mean progressing even further in this sector,” Panahi added.
