Six reasons to choose Iran for health tourism
Health tourism is a broad field that includes health tourism and medical tourism. Medical tourism means traveling to another country with the aim of providing, maintaining and promoting health along with rest and recreation.
Various economic, social, cultural and political factors affect the process of selecting the destination country by medical tourists like low price, quality, high value and speed of access to health services.
Attractiveness of the destination country, safety and the quality of health services. A total of 46 countries were surveyed by the center in 2020. Canada, Singapore, Japan, Spain and the United Kingdom were the top five destinations for medical tourists in 2020, and Iran’s ranking as 46th.
Due to mentioned reasons, Iran is a suitable destination for many medical tourists from all around the world.There are 22 reasons for choosing Iran to receive medical services, which are classified into six groups: type of service, quality of service, cost of service, previous patient experience, advertising and underlying factors.
Type of medical service
Sometimes, foreign patients come to Iran for medical services that are not provided in their country. Iran offers very special medical services such as IVF. These services have legal restrictions in many countries, such as Oman and Iraq; IVF and artificial insemination are prohibited in these countries. Iran has a good position in the field of organ transplantation. Of course, foreign patients are only allowed to have corneal and bone marrow transplants and must bring the organ donor with them.Services such as cochlear implants and advanced ophthalmic surgeries are not available in many countries in the region.
Quality of medical service
The quality of medical services and staff is one of these factors.The knowledge and skills of Iranian physicians in terms of diagnosis, correct and prompt treatment along with their good behavior, is an important factor in obtaining the satisfaction of outpatients as well as Advanced and modern diagnostic and treatment equipment is also an important factor in choosing Iran.
Hospitals offer different facilities to the foreign patients. The possibility of accommodating the patient’s companions, providing exchange services, transferring the patient from the airport to the hospital, and coordinating hotels and tickets for foreign patients are some of the measures that hospitals provide to facilitate the affairs of foreign patients, as well as other necessary services such as accommodation , transportation and etc.
another reason is the fast process of receiving medical services.In some cases, the patient can receive medical services in his own country; but if one wants to use the insurance coverage, he has to wait six or seven months, and his illness may be such that he cannot wait this long, so he comes to Iran.
Hospitals licensed to admit international patients created a unit for international patients which led to the satisfaction of outpatients. Implementation of accreditation program in Iranian hospitals has increased the safety and effectiveness of hospital services, which plays an important role in creating confidence and peace of mind in outpatients.
The cost of medical services in Iran
The cost of medical services in Iran for outpatients is much lower than in their own country. Therefore, the cost of medical services is one of the main reasons for choosing Iran by health tourists to receive medical, dental and surgical services. For Afghan patients, their costs are significantly reduced due to their lack of language and the need of an interpreter. If a patient wants to have cataract surgery at an American hospital, he or she has to pay about 20,000 USD. But in Iran has to pay only about 1,000 USD, something like a twentieth!
The cost of cochlear implantation in Iran in a public hospital is about $ 3,000 and in Turkey and India $ 12,000. In Iran, treatment costs are much lower than in many countries. Also, the cost of cosmetic equipment and cosmetic prostheses is much lower. The low value of the Iranian currency has led to a reduction in the cost of treatment for outpatients. “The rising price of the dollar in our country has led to a sharp drop in the cost of medical services, making it competitive with countries like India and Turkey. “We consulted health in the area.” Restrictions on health insurance coverage in foreign countries increase patients’ health costs. As a result, some patients prefer to travel to another country for cheaper medical care. In addition to foreign patients, Iranian immigrants to other countries come to Iran to use cheap medical services due to the length of their insurance process.
Previous experience
The high quality and low cost of medical services in Iran will increase the value of foreign patients and increase their satisfaction. As a result, if necessary, they re-select Iran to receive medical services.
Advertising
Advertising of hospitals and travel agencies, introducing friends, acquaintances and doctors, the Internet and social media play an important role in introducing Iranian hospitals and treatment centers and attracting medical tourists.
Through some foreign conferences and seminars, some foreign physicians such as Pakistan recognize Iranian physicians and introduce their patients to Iran. One way of advertising in service work is word of mouth. Trust plays a very important role in medical work. Word-of-mouth advertising has made us famous in the region. In Iraq and Afghanistan, because life is tribal-like, when a person receives a service from Iran and is satisfied by that specific service, he returns to his country, preaches and recommend it to other people to come to Iran. Of course, hospital advertisements and cyberspace advertisements are replacing these old ways.
Patients’ satisfaction with hospital services is the best advertisement for the hospital.
Underlying factors
Cultural proximity, tourist attractions and political climate are among the underlying factors of choosing Iran by foreign patients to receive medical services. In this study, common language and religion, value and cultural similarities have been announced as important factors for patients to refer to Iran internationally. Due to religion and language, Iran could play an important rule in the field of medical tourism for muslim countries and those withe same language.
Conclusion
Type, quality and cost of medical services, previous patient experience, advertising and contextual factors including social and cultural factors affect the choice of Iran for health tourism. Foreign patients refer to Iranian hospitals and medical centers to gain more value. The value gained is the difference between the benefits gained and the costs incurred to obtain medical care. The patient values the benefits of medical care, such as quality, rather than cost. Costs include the cost of paying for medical care and non-monetary costs such as time spent, effort, searching, and effort to obtain and obtain that service. At Arian Medtour, as a Health Tourism Facilitation Company, we reduce your costs in both areas.