Iran is one of the beautiful and tourist-friendly countries that has become an exceptional destination for the people of the region due to its brilliant medical history, unique historical attractions, special ethnic and geographical diversity, well-known and advanced health centers. The tourism industry in Iran has become one of the most prosperous industries in the last decade and many people travel to Iran every year for recreational, educational and medical purposes. One of the common types of tourism is called health, in this article we will introduce it and perspective of health tourism in Iran.
Definition of health tourism in the past and present
Health tourism is not tourism and health, it is tourism for health. It means a person travels to another country for improving their health, performing medical or cosmetic surgery or receiving other health and wellness services!
It is clear that medical care in another country is directly related to tourism activities. Because the patient has entered a new cultural environment and wants to visit the city and tourist attractions and have fun and buy souvenirs.
The World Tourism Organization defines health tourism as:
Using services that improve or enhance a person's health and morale (using mineral water, weather or medical interventions) and lasts for more than 24 hours outside the person's place of residence.
What is a visa in field of Health tourism in Iran?
According to international definitions, a trip in which a person or persons travel from one place of residence to another for the purpose of treatment is called health tourism. A visa issued to a traveler for health tourism is also called a medical visa. Health tourism, which has now become one of the most lucrative industries in the world, includes a variety of treatments including modern medical treatments, traditional medicine, and mineral water.
What are the most suitable city in field of Health tourism in Iran?
Yazd: Yazd is one of the centers of Iranian treatment that people from all the neighboring provinces travel to this city to receive medical services. Yazd doctors are known for their skill in medicine and kind behavior. Also, the cost of treatment, accommodation and recreation in Yazd is much cheaper than in Tehran, Mashhad and Shiraz.
Mashhad: With increasing in the number of Iraqi pilgrims to Mashhad, this city became the first Health tourism city; because the Iraqi pilgrims realized in addition to the pilgrimage, they could also use the advanced medical services and clinics of Mashhad.
Tehran: Tehran is another city in Iran that with its countless medical centers and specialized and advanced clinics, attracts many medical tourists from the Persian Gulf and Europe.
Shiraz: With migration of many people from Shiraz city to the Persian Gulf countries such as Oman and the UAE, the flow of people to this country also increased to Shiraz who travel to this beautiful city for medical purposes.
Iran's competitors in the field of health tourism in Iran
Iran's competitors in the field of health tourism are many, including Brunei, Hungary, Spain, Costa Rica, Japan, Britain, Lithuania, India, Cuba, China, Jordan, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates. . In the field of cosmetic surgery, Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico, Turkey and Costa Rica are notable people from all over the world. Belgium, Poland, as well as South African countries are working to attract health tourists.
IPD standards
IPD stands for International Patient Department, which is a license for hospitals and clinics that can treat international patients. IPD standards include:
-Estimating the approximate cost of treatment and inform the traveler before traveling
-Doing all the work related to the admission and treatment stages of the patient
-Coordinating financial, physician, operating room, etc. issues for the patient
Coordinating out-of-hospital activities such as translation, hotel reservation, patient reception at the airport as well as recreational activities for the patient.