Before 2016, hospitals in Iran did not use multilingual websites to promote their services to international patients. New research on Iran’s health tourism market, combining analysis of 23 hospital websites, five leading facilitator companies and a survey of 80 patients in a Tehran hospital in 2019, has demonstrated a clear need to create a digital marketing infrastructure, to encourage international patient business.
It can be argued that countries that neglect the online space will sooner or later be excluded from the international market. [1]
In recent years, the healthcare industry and international patient flow has developed and grown significantly in Iran, due to the existing competitive advantages such as a high quality of medical services, low prices, experienced and reputable doctors, the absence of a waiting list and many tourist attractions. [2] Much of the patient travel to Iran comes from neighbouring countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2019, Iran admitted 38,983 patients from Iraq and 42,476 patients from Afghanistan. [3]
Currently, the most common way to attract patients to Iran is through offline marketing. To attract patients from different countries using online marketing, there is a huge need to study the market, the needs of patients, and changes in customer behaviour; both in neighbouring countries to Iran, and in other countries that use online marketing methods to encourage medical and health travel. [8]
It is worth noting that surveys of major medical travel destinations, such as Turkey and India, show that these countries are increasingly using the online space to directly attract foreign patients. [12] India, for instance, with its emphasis on an e-health plan and having more than 45 hospitals as centres for providing health tourism medical services, is actively attracting foreign patients directly online. [9] Turkey is also developing this industry with a strategic plan and opportunities such as easy and free access to healthcare information through the widespread use of information technology and the digital marketing space. [10]
Digital marketing use in Iran
According to regulations approved in 2016 by the health tourism office at the Ministry of Health, it became mandatory for hospitals in Iran to create multilingual websites (English, Arabic, Kurdish or other languages depending on the target market). [4]
In the last two years, facilitators, important players in health service provision to international patients to Iran, have successfully formed companies, with certificates from the Ministry of Health. Currently, 70 facilitation companies, accredited by the Ministry of Health, are working in different cities across Iran. [4]
The process of formation of these companies was based on using online platforms to attract international patients, with an emphasis on the development of target market countries. [5] Statistics show that 33% of patients travel for cosmetic surgery and among them, 64% do not have insurance coverage in the country of origin (this number includes cosmetic surgeries in European and American countries as well) [6]. Buying behaviour in these countries shows that applicants for treatment and beauty services generally use online methods that are easy, transparent and secured in accessing the information in order to choose the hospitals or facilitator company. [7]
Recognising the need to expand target markets from neighbouring countries to other countries, such as European countries, and facilitating this using digital marketing, is now on Iran’s Ministry of Health Tourism agenda. Multilingual websites, covering the predominant language of patients according to the target market, have been launched in Iranian medical centres. Now, 120 hospitals and 70 facilitation companies have obtained an international patient reception certification in accordance with the set requirements. [2]
Research approach and findings
The survey used a comparison of rankings in attracting international patients between 2017-2020, based on 23 hospital websites in Tehran, Mashhad, Qom, Shiraz, Kermanshah, Tabriz, Sari, Hamedan and Ahvaz and five top facilitators. Growth in the use of online space in Iran’s health tourism was analysed and a questionnaire of 80 patients in 2019, from a Tehran hospital which had an English and Arabic website, assessed their familiarity with the hospital. The number of incoming patients registered in the AVAB system of the Ministry of Health during 2017 to 2020, sourced from the health tourism office, was also reviewed.
Various digital marketing methods such as multilingual websites, email marketing, online communication tools such as WhatsApp were found to have played a significant role in increasing the number of international patients in hospitals and this trend currently is growing in all hospitals.
Although it is not possible to accurately estimate the number of direct (online) admissions to hospitals and facilitator companies in Iran, the role of the digital marketing space in attracting foreign patients cannot be ignored.
Ambiguity in the data still exists, because countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan still use ‘traditional’ methods of sending health tourists to Iran, based on offline marketing methods such as attracting patients through intermediaries and representative offices. In addition, the current AVAB system does not allow registered incoming patients to be connected with associated facilitators and brokers.
There seems little doubt however that the number of patients would be greatly increased, if it were possible to register those who are admitted to hospitals through facilitator companies as well. Having done that, the important role of facilitator companies using digital marketing to attract foreign patients would also be clearly defined.
The facilitator companies of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, for example, successfully attracted 14,262 foreign patients through the use of digital marketing. This number is not currently registrable in the AVAB system. Since English and Arabic websites became mandatory in hospitals, a review of site rankings, with an emphasis on the use of digital marketing shows that many hospitals have a better online ranking after launching an English version, and have helped to create a positive image of Iran as a medical travel destination.
Recommendations for Iran’s health tourism sector
The research proposed the following recommendations to help develop the health tourism sector:
- Create the necessary software infrastructure for the possibility of registering patients by facilitators and brokers, in an integrated health tourism system managed by the Ministry of Health.
- Expand multilingual websites according to the target market of hospitals and companies.
- Use the digital marketing space as much as possible to introduce and visualise the country and advertise the medical services available in the country.
- Produce unique content by examining related keywords and non-Persian SEO sites in hospitals and facilitators.
- Full introduction of facilities, medical equipment, doctors’ resumes and various treatment procedures to the digital marketing space.
- Manage destination marketing with different digital marketing methods.
- Train personnel related to international patients to use digital marketing methods, from initial marketing, to reception and follow-up of patients.
References
1) P.Goel, Evolution of medical tourism, 2012; chapter1,7,147
2) N.Aalami, S.Hashemzadeh.MD, N.Honarvar, THE IMPORTANCE OF IRAN’S HEALTH TOURISM FACILITATORS, 2020, https://www.imtj.com/articles/importance-irans-health-tourism-facilitators/
3) S.Hashemzadeh.MD, N.Aalami, 2020, HOW CAN IRAN ATTRACT MORE IRAQI MEDICAL TRAVELLERS? , https://www.imtj.com/articles/how-can-iran-attract-more-iraqi-medical-travellers/
4) http://iht.behdasht.gov.ir/
5) S.Hashemzadeh.MD, digital marketing in health tourism, 2019;43
6) S.Hashemzadeh.MD, Definition in health tourism, 2019;35
7) https://sitosa.ir/blog/general
8) https://bamed.ir/
9) https://iranbmemag.com/
10) Dr. E. Gültüvin Gür Omay, Prof. Dr. E. Cengiz , Health Tourism in Turkey: Opportunities and Threats, 2013
11) Medical Tourism Competition: The Case of Turkey; Emine Kilavus; Meltem Uygun, Erdogan Ekiz; 2018
About the authors
The paper has been written by Saeed Hashemzadeh, MD and manager of the health tourism office at the Ministry of Health; Niloufar A’alami, MBA in Health Tourism and operations manager at Sitos (Iran’s Health Tourism System); and Saeed Rahimi Niaraki, School of Progress Engineering, Iran University of Science & Technology, Tehran. For a full version of the research, email Niloufar A’alami at [email protected].
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