The Iran Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHHTO) and the ministry of health are working on a plan to accredit clinics and hospitals on their capacity to receive health tourists, according to International Medical Travel Journal.
In the future, the ministry of health website will list approved centers, formally accredited to offer services to health tourists; and will also provide a platform for patient feedback.
Tabriz, Rasht, Ardebil, Saari, Gorgan, Yazd and Karaj are among the most active cities for health and medical tourism. Although many statements have been made on numbers of health tourists, ICHHTO has admitted that it still has no reliable data.
An analysis by the Medical Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRIMC) found that 90% of the private medical centers in the capital have expressed readiness to offer medical tourism services.
Iran is a leader in cardiovascular surgery, fertility treatment, organ transplantation, as well as in nanotechnology, and stem cells technology.
It seeks to develop closer links with Iraq. Most health tourists who come to Iran are from Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Iraq, Turkey, Kuwait, Oman, India and Pakistan. Among treatments most sought after are: transplants, eye surgery, orthopedics, and dentistry.
