Saeid Hashemzadeh, from the Iranian Ministry of Health’s medical tourism department says ‘official statistics’ confirm over 300,000 medical travelers during the past Iranian calendar year (ending 20 March).Saeid Hashemzadeh gave these figures in an interview with ISNA, which was reported in the Tehran Times. He didn’t provide more details on the number of such visitors this year.
Generally, Iraq and Afghanistan constitute the lion’s share of medical tourists to Iran, he said, adding, “Mashhad, which embraces the holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS), and Tehran, host the largest number of medical travelers.”
Over the past couple of months Iran’s economy is facing pressure from the re-imposition of U.S.-led sanctions.
Iran has capacity to annually earn $7 billion in medical and health tourism, though the sector now brings in only one-seventh or even lesser of the sum, Mohammad Jahangiri who presides over a national center for developing health tourism said in May.
A total of 166 hospitals in Iran hold special licenses and meet standards in this field, Jahangiri stated.