Iran has become a destination for Omani nationals needing medical treatment. The number of Omanis visiting Iran for medical tourism is on the rise with 5,000 Omanis seeking treatment in the country every year, according to the Iranian Embassy in Muscat.
A third of Iranian visas issued in Muscat are for medical tourism. Abdul Majid al Borzi of the Iranian Embassy in Oman explains, “We offer care at a fraction of the cost when compared to other destinations. GCC nationals who were previously seeking treatment in Europe, South Asia and South East Asia are being drawn to Iran. With daily flights from Muscat to Tehran, an express service at the embassy which issues visas to Omani nationals in a day or two at the most, increased interest from travel agents who specialise in medical packages and an abundance of top level medical specialists in Iran, the statistics from our visa section show a sharp increase in applications for medical reasons.”
Iranian hospitals that hold a medical tourism license from the Ministry of Health arrange airport transfers as well as accommodation. In addition, a nurse can be assigned to each patient.
Shookoofeh Dehkordi for the private Moheb Hospital in Tehran adds, “ In addition to the GCC, many patients come from Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iraq and India. Iranian ophthalmologists are renowned throughout the region, we also have speciality services in cardiology, kidney transplants, urology and general surgery.”
Moheb Hospital is an Iranian pioneer in treating foreign patients as a planned service. Since 2004, there have been patients from overseas for kidney transplantation and urology non-invasive surgeries. After a while, Moheb increased the range of services. In Iran, private kidney transplants are legal.
Iran accepts that is pointless trying to attract Americans or Western Europeans. Pressure continues to mount on Iran over its nuclear programme; and the presence of US and EU warships off the coast, is hardly conducive to attracting American or European medical tourists.
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